Hear a just cause, O Lord, attend to my cry; give ear to my prayer which is not from deceitful lips. Let my vindication come from Your presence; let Your eyes look on the things that are upright. You have tested my heart; You have visited me in the night; You have tried me and have found nothing; I have purposed that my mouth shall not transgress. (A psalm of David; Psalm 17:1-3)

A Purposed Life

Life without purpose is an empty life. Many people try to find happiness in the things of the world, enjoyment of the flesh, and self-contained wisdom and never find fulfillment. A purposed life is trying to find some direction to model one’s life. There is a need to find the true meaning of what man is doing on this planet. The age-old question of self-worth must be answered in the context of divine truth. Whether a man believes in God or not, the question of identity remains the focus of life. Trying to answer why a man exists can only come from the One who formed, designed, and purposed man’s creation. In the beginning, God said, “Let us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” That is the purpose of man.

David was a man after God’s own heart because he was willing to invite the Lord to test his heart. It was not that the Lord did not have the power to know the hearts of all men, but David desired the Lord to examine his life. David was a man of prayer. His heart was open to allow the searching eye of God to look closely at his words, his thoughts, and his actions. He asked the Lord to declare him innocent without the pretense of being perfect but the prayer of being blameless. David longed for God to test his heart for righteousness. The omniscience of the Divine peered into the night and saw every part of David’s life. Admitting the knowledge of God about his life, David declared his innocence as he purposed to live a loving life before the Lord. His mouth did not speak guile. The heart of David fully rested in the word of the Lord. His prayer was to invite the Lord to examine him and find him innocent. God did what David asked and found him to be a righteous man.

Purpose-driven people are those who open their hearts to the examination of the Lord. They live each day with the recognition that everything about their life is open to the knowledge of the Almighty – and they find security in that knowledge. A purposed driven life is reliant upon the eye of God seeing everything they do and the ear of the Lord hearing everything they say. This is where purpose comes to fruition. There is no fear of condemnation. David was seeking to align his life with the will of the Father, and although a sinful man, he begged the Lord’s mercy to see his righteous character as he walked before the Lord. The prayer of David sought the presence of God in his life without reservation.

If you want to live a life of purpose, have a purpose in your life. Seeking the things of the world will not give you purpose. Heartache is all that is found in the trappings of the world. Have the courage to ask God to test your heart, examine your life, and hear your prayers. Then you will have a divine purpose that will help you in this life and bless you in the life to come. Purpose in your heart that you will not sin in what you say, what you do, and how you act. God bless your life to be purposed in Jesus Christ.