The Directionally Challenged Life: Answering the Question "Why In The World Am I Here?"

“The really wonderful moments of joy in this world are not the moments of self-satisfaction, but self-forgetfulness. Standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon and contemplating your own greatness is pathological. At such moments we are made for a magnificent joy that comes from outside ourselves.” (John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life)

I'm not going to lie. I like being being needed. There is a great satisfaction in feeling important and significant in this life. I love people and I want people to love me back. I like the popular feeling when I walk into a room and people crowd around me. Then there is the natural craving to having a man attracted to me and pursuing my heart. Ironically thought, I've come to realize that those things do not satisfy nor have I discovered my purpose in life fulfilled in the empty pursuit of "self".

What do you do when life doesn't make sense? Where is God in these moments and what is He trying to tell us? As we come to the end of our series on The Lord's Prayer I want you to ponder this statement, LIFE ISN'T ABOUT YOU.  
Life Isn't About You
We all have our little "bubble-of-a-world" ways in which we live our lives. We have our circle of friends, our daily routines, our school, our work, our favorite coffee shops, sports teams, music groups, hobbies and the list could go on and on and on. We portray this "bubble life" in all its glory on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and other social media. This kind of life may seem exciting for a season but then you wake up one day and wonder why you are here on earth and where you are going. I've had days like that. The panic button goes off inside me and I wonder if I'm really making a difference here on earth. 

On a personal note, I need to admit to you that I have NOT mastered this concept of a life that isn't about me. I am selfish and stubborn by nature and want things my own way. Three months ago my family moved into a much smaller house which resulted in sharing a room with two other sisters and two cats. (God must have a sense of humor because I HATE cats!) After having a room of my own for four years, I didn't have a clue that the Lord was about to take me through a series of lessons that caused the ugliness of my heart to surface under the glaring light of God's holiness. 

This blog series on the Lord's prayer has changed my own perspective more than I realized it would. If Matthew 6:9-13 was the only scripture on which I based my thinking and how I lived, it would drastically change every area of my life...and yours too! As you read the final post for this blog series, ponder the closing words in the Lord's prayer, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

This life isn't about you or me or even the whole of mankind. Its about God's Kingdom, God's mighty power and for God's glory. These three things should ignite within our soul the burning desire to make this our aim in life. I'm sure you are reading this and wondering, but how does this apply practically to my life? 

God's Will: His Kingdom, Power and Glory
“You don’t have to know a lot of things for your life to make a lasting difference in the world. But you do have to know the few great things that matter, perhaps just one, and then be willing to live for them and die for them. The people that make a durable difference in the world are not the people who have mastered many things, but who have been mastered by one great thing.” (John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life)

I want you to break this down for you and try to explain these three concepts by reviewing the entire Lord's prayer. (Note: Each aspect of this prayer is linked to the individual blog post if you would like to review this series.)

1. Our Father who art in Heaven: Why is God our Father? Why would this holy, righteous, almighty God desire to be our dad? "To bring value kingdom, to display His power to His children, and to glorify His name."
2. Hollowed by thy name: We have been called to adore the the character of God. Jesus invites us to acknowledge the fact that we have the privilege to pray to the King of kings and to show honor to His name. Why? "Because He is the King of this Kingdom, His power is greater than all others, and our powerful God will not give His glory to another."
3. Thy kingdom come: The agenda of God should captivated every area of our lives. What would happen if all of our prayers were centered around what God wants for eternity? What would happen if we actually lived out the Kingdom agenda here on earth? What should our kingdom mindset be? "To be a participant of His kingdom work, to be a channel of His power here on earth and reflect the glory of God to mankind."
4. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven: There is a surrendered attitude that God requires of each of His children. It is a mindset that is bent on running faithfully in the will of God and has the heart of heaven as their guide. What is this heavenly vision that casts its glow on earth? "The furtherance of His kingdom, a witness of His power and a voice that proclaims His glory."
5. Give us this day our daily bread: He is our great provider. He is the one that supplies our every need. But there is an aspect of this that invites us to participate in being that answer to prayer. Both waiting on God's provision in our lives and sacrificially giving to the needs of others requires trust and sacrifice. What is the motivating factor here? "The nurturing of the Kingdom, God's power is displayed, and He receives more glory from His children." 
6. Forgive us our debts: God's mercy is new every morning. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins. God's forgiveness reveals once again that, "In His Kingdom His love never fails, His power is greater than sins curse and He is glorified in restoring our souls in fellowship with Him."
7. As we forgive our debtors: The God that forgives us is the God who lives in us and requires the same attitude of mercy towards others. The attitude of forgiving others is only found in the supernatural and again reveals that, "His Kingdom is united through His character, His power is channeled through a forgiving heart and His glory is brighter through reconciliation."
8. Lead us not into temptation: The only way to survive this life is be totally dependent on God's help. To walk away from temptation is not something you and I can do in our own strength. This is something God must do for us and again it showcases, "His tender mercy for His kingdom, the greatness of His power and glory of His name."
9. But deliver us from evil: The enemy has lost its grip on you and me. Satan's power has lost its strength and now God has a right to deliver us from the mess we were born in. The power of the cross is daily rescuing us from the evil clutches of the enemy. God cares about us so much because it all goes back to the fact that "We are part of this kingdom, we are a work of His power and we are reflectors of His glory."

Why in The World are You Here?
Life isn't about you. It is all goes back to His kingdom, His power and His glory. We can take every aspect of our lives, every decision we need to make, every relationship, every struggles and ask ourselves three questions:

1. How does this effect the kingdom of God?
2. Does it display His power or steal from His power?
3. Does it reflect His glory or distract from His glory? 

If our life was governed by the Lord's prayer and we continually filtered every aspect of our lives by these three questions, we would discover our greatest purpose in life. I believe we would stop trying to build our own kingdom, power and glory and start focusing on why we are really here on earth.

“But whatever you do, find the God-centered, Christ-exalting, Bible-saturated passion of your life, and find your way to say it and live for it and die for it. And you will make a difference that lasts. You will not waste your life.” (John Piper, Don't Waste Your Life)

Questions? You can either email me or leave me a voicemail or text with my google number: 646-504-626