Joyful Moments in Christ

Reflections on the Meaning of Life

I recently engaged in an interesting conversation about the perceived meaningless of life. The central question that emerged was, “What’s the point of striving diligently and doing what is right?” We toil, study, exert ourselves, and scrape by, only to meet our inevitable end in death. Where’s the joy? Where’s the purpose? Where’s the lasting legacy? While none of us are likely to want to be remembered like Hitler, for most of us, the prospect of leaving a lasting memory on the world seems elusive unless one ascends to the ranks of figures like Jesus or Abraham Lincoln.

Societal Loss of Faith

Our conclusion to this deliberation led to the overarching realization that society appears to have lost its faith in Jesus. In a worldview devoid of an afterlife or a grand cosmic plan, the logical inference is that life becomes an exercise in futility or a pursuit as insubstantial as chasing the wind. Ecclesiastes eloquently captures this train of thought:

Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity…
So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

Ecclesiastes 1:2, Ecclesiastes 2:17 (ESV)

These verses strongly resonate with the feeling of emptiness and lack of purpose that we often see in today’s society. Emphasizing the emptiness we feel when our pursuits in life are not connected to a higher purpose, they mirror the modern experience of a world that seems lost and adrift without a spiritual anchor.

Hope Amidst Despair

With this bleak outlook on life, it is hardly surprising that the CDC reports that 11% of Americans aged 12 and older rely on antidepressants. It is only when we shift our gaze to the purposes bestowed by God that we begin to discern meaning for our lives. In the context of societal struggles and the prevalent use of antidepressants, understanding God’s grand cosmic plan becomes even more crucial, offering a source of profound meaning and purpose to counter the prevailing despair.

In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet writes a letter to the exiled Israelites in Babylon. These people found themselves in captivity as a consequence of their idolatry and disobedience. In their despair, they welcomed the misleading assurances of false prophets who downplayed the gravity of their situation. Jeremiah, in contrast, paints a sobering picture of an extended stay in Babylon but also imparts a message of hope:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 (ESV)

In moments of desperation, all we need to do is turn to God, for he yearns to give us hope and a future. However, he also demands that we call on him, pray to him, and seek him. In the challenges faced by contemporary society, this message from Jeremiah remains profoundly relevant. We need to be actively seeking him in the midst of despair and uncertainty. This is the crux of the issue in today’s world — few are making that call, and even when they do, the expectation often hinges on God fulfilling His promise within human, rather than divine, timescales.

Consider again these Israelites who endured 70 years of Babylonian captivity and held hopes that the false prophets might prove to be correct. How many perished while awaiting the fulfillment of God’s promise? In contemporary society, many individuals seem to perceive death in unfavorable circumstances as waste of a life, rather than recognizing the enduring promise of a hopeful and purposeful future that truly only begins in the afterlife.

Walking God’s Path

That is not to say that we have to wait until death to do God’s work. While the Israelites were in Babylon, God gave them the purpose of remembering him. They were to call on him, pray to him, and seek him with all their hearts. In slightly more modern times, Ephesians tells us that God has a purpose for each one of us:

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

It is critical that as we make plans for our lives, we need to ensure that we are consulting God. Sometimes we are frustrated time and time again, only to realize that we have been attempting to traverse our own path rather than God’s.

Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.

Proverbs 19:21 (ESV)

When we walk God’s path, his purposes will be achieved. While the end results may not unfold on the timescale we desire, success will ultimately be realized. God wants to see his will done, and despite setbacks in the work he has set for us, God invariably prevails, even when it seems improbable. In Romans, the author expounds on the Holy Spirit’s role in aiding our weaknesses and interceding in prayer, and then goes on to say:

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28 (ESV)

The pivotal phrase here is “all things.” God operates not solely through the good aspects of our lives but also through the challenging ones. Regardless of what befalls us, we can be confident that God’s purpose will stand, just as it did in Isaiah’s time:

Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,”

Isaiah 46:10 (ESV)

Choosing Joy and Purpose

We have a purpose, and it is God who gives it to us! All we need to do is ask, and God willingly shares his plans with us. If we decline, he simply finds someone else.

For it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

Philippians 2:13 (ESV)

God is pleased to give us purpose. He desires us to carry out his will and do the work he has given us. In our contemporary era, the grand purpose is likely related preparing for Jesus’ second coming. Of course, there are many other smaller tasks that he gives us, but without a belief in God, this overarching purpose appears devoid of sense, leading to the prevailing feelings of meaninglessness and hopelessness that engulf us.

Let’s choose to follow Jesus, participate in God’s work, and embrace a life filled with joy and purpose! Even if no one on earth remembers what we did, God will! He will say, “Well done, good and faithful servant!” Matthew 25:23 (ESV).

Reflection Questions

1. Do you struggle with finding significance in your actions? Does leaving a lasting legacy resonate with you?
2. Do you share the belief that purpose without a cosmic plan is indeed meaningless? How do your view on this influence your perception of life’s purpose?
3. Without a grounding in life’s purpose found in Jesus, do you agree that the need for antidepressants seem a reasonable and natural solution? How could finding a purpose, as described in the Bible, reduce today’s depression levels?
4. How often do you consult your beliefs or seek guidance from a higher power in your decision-making process? How do you perceive challenges and setbacks, and do you believe they contribute to a higher purpose?
5. How can you align your life with a greater purpose and find joy along the way? What steps or changes might contribute to this alignment?

Respond

In contemplating the theme of discovering purpose and joy in Jesus, are there specific Bible verses or reflections that come to your mind? If so, kindly share your insights by adding a comment at the end of this post!

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English Standard Version (ESV): Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. The ESV text may not be quoted in any publication made available to the public by a Creative Commons license. The ESV may not be translated in whole or in part into any other language.