I see you and I hear you.
The questions you ask and the ones that remain hidden in your heart.
What is this life?
What is my purpose?
What is the purpose of living and is there anything worth living for?
These questions are unavoidable and though you may try to hide from them, ultimately you will either find an answer or you will find yourself haunted, “all the days of your fleeting life.”
I watch you fight to find answers to these questions, yet you do it outside of Christ and therefore it is a fight against the wind, as you ask in vain, “Where does it come from, where does it go, and how might I grasp it in my hands?”
To see a man standing in a field doing this you would quickly and easily declare him absurd, insane, and pursuing fruitless ambitions. Yet you yourself do it as you claim to search for purpose but refuse to hear the truth.
I say this not in harshness but in sincere directness, that from this point forward there would be no uncertainty.
I’ve heard you when you’ve declared finding truth and purpose to be an impossible task, and therefore you consume yourself with other things, as it is written, “How long will you love what is worthless and pursue a lie?” Psalm 4:2
I’ve seen you set your focus on work/family/pastime, as you persist momentarily in finding purpose in achievement and recognition, but ultimately even this concludes in nothing but sorrow and burden. The sorrow and burden becoming most noticeable to you in the slow moments, in the night, as you lay your head down, hoping for rest but finding none.
“For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest.” Ecclesiastes 2:23
With a heavy heart, I’ve heard you ask, “How long can one continue in this life with so much sorrow and so little rest?"
Oh, so quickly did you come to the tragic conclusion - all is emptiness.
It is as the preacher once said,
“As he came from his mother’s womb, so he will go again, naked as he came; he will take nothing for his efforts that he can carry in his hands.
Exactly as he comes, so he will go. What does the one gain who struggles for the wind?
What is more, he eats in darkness all his days, with much frustration, sickness and anger.” Eccl. 5:15-17
It is no surprise then that you are depressed, filled with frustration and anger, and ill of health in body, mind, and spirit. You are struggling for the wind. A fool’s errand.
At this point, you respond back to us who proclaim that Christ is the only answer, “If only we could see for ourselves, then we would know it’s true. Give us proof. Show it to us and then we will believe.”
Therefore, today, let me show it to you.
Look first within yourself, for it is written, “He has put eternity in their hearts.”
Your heart bears witness to the fact that there is a beginning to our days on earth, an end to our days on earth, and then a gaping void afterward called eternity. The knowledge of eternity, something after our days here on earth, has been written on your heart.
Then, look all around yourself, for it is written, “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.”
This word of the Lord is both a sure word, “Your testimonies are very sure,” and an eternal word, “The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart to all generations,” “For He spoke, and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast.”
This sure, lasting, and commanding word is all around us. It is as close as our very breath, “I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.”
And it’s as near as the warmth of the sun and the wetness of the rain, “He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
The evidence of His existence is clearly seen every morning when you wake, every time you feel the warmth of the sun and the wetness of the rain. It all declares the proof of His existence.
Therefore, it is also written:
“For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them.”
And this evidence is clearly seen, “For His invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world.”
As a result, you are without excuse. “For though they knew God,” that is, though the evidence of God was shown to them and clearly seen, “They did not glorify Him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened.”
“They exchanged the [clearly seen] truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator.”
“Therefore God delivered them over,” “to the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity,” “to disgraceful passions,” and “to a corrupt mind.”
It is true when you say you have “neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.” But this is not why you do not believe. You do not believe because “You are not willing to come to Me [Jesus] that you may have life.”
Therefore, I compel you, enough with the senseless arguments and hollow excuses - repent and believe.
Turn from your foolish thoughts, worthless loves, and vain pursuits, and trust in Christ.
Confess to your ignorance, unbelief, and refusal to believe even though the evidence is clearly seen, and ask God for the gift of faith.
If you are able - come to Jesus. Hear, see, drink of the water of life freely and you will never thirst again.
The evidence you need has been shown to you and it is clearly seen. Quickly, while there is still time - come to Him, for this is the conclusion of the matter of life’s purpose, “Let all the earth fear the Lord; Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.”
Or as one preacher said, “Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”
In love,
Derek