“You have a purpose”
Psalm 67
Let’s begin this week by spending 1 minute in silence. While it is quiet, I want you to take an inventory. I want you to recount all the ways God has blessed you over your life and all the ways you are being blessed now, in the present.
Ready? Go!
[pause for 1 minute]
I hope that makes you feel good and helps you recognise how blessed each of us really is. Having likely recalled things such as: houses, families, friends, food, children, trips taken, vacations had, jobs and employers, cars, adventures, church, and the list goes on, I also hope this little exercise encourages you to be thankful to God; recognising where our blessings come from.
We each have so much to be thankful for.
And not just the physical stuff; although there’s plenty of that for sure. We are also blessed in emotional and spiritual ways. We are part of a supportive community. We have given love and received love. We have heard the gospel and believed. We have the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. We have scripture to teach us and reassure us. We always have Jesus’ presence with us. All these blessings from God.
But do you ever stop to wonder why?
Why should God continually cause us to be blessed?
Is it because of something we have done? Some people may believe so. “Because I am a good person and try not to do too many things wrong, God has rewarded me with blessings.” The problem with that thinking is, where’s the cut-off point? At what point have I done enough that is either good, to cause blessing, or bad, to inhibit blessing? And what about those people who are truly evil, yet seem to be as blessed, or more so, than the rest of us? And if my being blessed or not blessed is all dependant on me and my behaviours, then isn’t God just some kind of huge cosmic vending machine?
No; and no. Our being blessed is not because of something we have done.
Well, maybe our being blessed is because of something that we believe? Again, some people, many people, believe this to be the case. “I am a Christian, therefore God blesses me. After all, I believe in God. I believe Jesus died for me. I try to live the Way Jesus taught; so God blesses me.” However, there are plenty of Christians around the world, and even here in Canada, that I would not consider particularly blessed. Those who are persecuted for their faith; who have their property confiscated from them, or are tortured or killed because they are Christians. Those who are starving and homeless. Those who have AIDS. Those who have had to flee their countries because of war and live as refugees. Those people have just as much faith as me, some probably more so, yet they don’t seem very blessed. And again, like believing that being blessed is the result of something we have done, what about all those people who are not Christians, but who are still blessed? There are a lot of very faithful Muslims and Buddhist, Hindus, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Pagans and Atheists even, who are blessed like we are. What about them?
No, our being blessed is not because of something that we believe.
Well, if my being blessed is not because of something that any of us have done, or something that we believe, what is it about? Why should God bless any of us?
I find one answer to that question in today’s Psalm reading. Psalm 67. Listen.
Be gracious unto us, O God, and bless us;
And let the light of your face shine upon us;
THAT your ways may be known upon the earth,
Your saving power among all nations.
Why are we blessed? We are blessed in order that God’s ways and God’s saving power may be known everywhere. We are blessed as an example, as a teaching aid, as a witness to who God is and what God is about. We are blessed in order that people can come to know how good God is; that God wants only good and healthy things for us. We are blessed, in order that through those blessings we can help people come to faith; to recognise God’s love for them; then in turn to live lives in line with God’s intentions and God’s will for them and for all people.
According to this Psalm, that is the purpose of our blessings, and in turn, that is also our purpose. We are never blessed just for the sake of being blessed. We are never Spirit filled just for the experience. We have a purpose whenever we receive a blessing from God, that God’s ways and God’s saving power may be known everywhere.
Kind of puts that inventory of blessings that I hope you made at the beginning of this sermon in a different light, doesn’t it? If what this Psalm says about blessings is true, then instead of us being proud of all the ways God has blessed us, instead of using our blessings as a way to justify how we live or what we believe about our status with God; if what this Psalm says about blessings is true, then we need to consider how we have used those blessings to fulfill the purpose God has also given us: that God’s ways and God’s saving power may be known everywhere.
Let me finish with the last words of Psalm 67:
The earth has yielded its harvest,
And you, our God, have blessed us.
Your blessing, O God, be upon us.
May all the ends of the earth revere you.
Think about it:
1. How are you using God’s blessings to fulfill your purpose: that God’s ways and God’s saving power may be known everywhere?
2. Who do you know that really seems to live up to God’s purpose for them, regardless of how blessed they are or aren’t?
3. In your prayers this week, thank God for the blessings God gives you and ask God for direction and courage to use them for the purpose they were meant.
AMEN.