4 May all the kings of the earth praise you, O LORD, when they hear the words of your mouth. 5 May they sing of the ways of the LORD, for the glory of the LORD is great. 6 Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar. 7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me. 8 The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me; your love, O LORD, endures forever--do not abandon the works of your hands.

The LORD will fulfill [his purpose] for me. What a wonderful assurance, to know that the Lord will fulfill his purpose in my life. This implies that we believe God has a purpose in our lives. One of the interesting things about studying the Old Testament is seeing how God worked in the lives of so many of the people we consider as great men and women of faith . Consider Moses as an example. How could he see God working while he was being raised as the Prince of Egypt? When he tried to identify with his Hebrew brothers and killed the Egyptian he was rejected by both Pharaoh and the Hebrews so he fled for his life. How could he possibly see God working in his life? It must have seemed to him that he had just wasted the first 40 years of his life for no purpose. He then spent the next 40 years as a shepherd in the hills, far away from both his natural family and his adopted family. He was a forgotten pilgrim with no purpose beyond caring for the sheep, or so it must have seemed to him. But God was getting Moses ready to be one of the greatest leaders of all times and to be the lawgiver to God’s special people. Today he is respected as one of the “greats” by Jews and Gentiles alike. So it is with Joseph, who as a teenager was sold as a slave to live in a foreign land. Who was mistreated, falsely accused and imprisoned, yet who went on to be the second in command over Egypt and the deliverer to the linage of Christ. No one started from more humble beginnings and suffered more wrong than did David but we see God’s working in his life. The point is that each of these could not see God’s plan at the time it was being unfolded and especially in th e early preparation stages. So it is in our lives today. What is God’s plan for me and my life? I will only know when I have yielded my will to his and committed my life to him. I may never become one of the “greats” in the eyes of men but if my life serves God’s purpose I will be great in his sight.

O God, please use me to your purpose. Help me to yield my heart and my life to your bidding. May I find my joy and peace in service to you as I serve others around me each day. Guide me in your path. I pray in Jesus name.

May God bless each of us as he uses us in his own way.