A prayer to know the purpose of your life

"Now may the God of peace who brought back our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep from the dead, by the blood of the eternal covenant, endow you with all the good that you can do his pleasing in his sight, through Jesus. Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. ”- Hebrews 13: 20-21

The first step to discovering our purpose is to surrender. This is a counterintuitive passage given the nature of most of today's self-help literature. We want to do something; to make something happen. But the spiritual path is different from this perspective. Vocation and life coaching experts Robert and Kim Voyle write: “Your life is not something you own. You did not create it and it is not for you to tell, O God, what it should be. However, you can awaken with gratitude and humility to your life, discover its purpose and manifest it in the world “. To do this, we need to tune into the inner voice and our Creator.

The Bible says that our Creator formed us with purpose and intention. If you are a parent, you have probably seen hard evidence of this. Children can express trends and personalities that are unique to them instead of cultivated by you. We can raise each of our children the same, yet they can turn out so different. Psalm 139 confirms this by testifying that our Creator God is at work to form a plan for us before birth.

Christian author Parker Palmer realized this not as a parent, but as a grandfather. He has marveled at his niece's unique trends since birth and decided to start recording them in the form of a letter. Parker had experienced depression in her own life before reconnecting to her purpose and didn't want the same thing to happen to her granddaughter. In her book Let Your Life Speak: Listening for The Voice of Vocation, she explains: “When my granddaughter reaches her late teens or early twenties, I will make sure my letter reaches her, with a preface similar to this: 'Here is a sketch of who you were from your early days in this world. It is not a definitive image, only you can draw it. But it was sketched by a person who loves you very much. Perhaps these notes will help you first do something your grandfather did only later: remember who you were when you first arrived and reclaim the gift of true self.

Whether it's a rediscovery or a type of evolution, the spiritual life takes time to discern and surrender when it comes to living our purpose.

Let us pray now for a heart of surrender:

Sir,

I surrender my life to you. I want to do something, make something happen, all with my strength, but I know that without you I can do nothing. I know my life is not mine, it's up to you to work through me. Lord, I am grateful for this life you have given me. You have blessed me with different gifts and talents. Help me understand how to cultivate these things to bring glory to your great name.

Amen.