The Purpose of Man

“Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” – Westminster Shorter Catechism

We read this tonight during family worship, and while I do not agree with everything in the Westminster Catechism, this first statement is certainly solidly biblical and has been a great help to us here during hard times.

The Scripture that we read to go along with this is from Habakkuk 3:16-19. I post it here for your convenience – “I hear, and my body trembles; my lips quiver at the sound; rottenness enters into my bones; my legs tremble beneath me. Yet I will quietly wait for the day of trouble to come upon people who invade us. Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD; I will take joy in the God of my salvation. GOD, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places.”

Friends, hard times are not that far away. It has been growing in my mind that we are headed in our land for great difficulty, if not a complete change of our entire way of life. God’s hand of judgement will not be held back forever. Unless some great repentance along the lines of the reformation happens in our nation….well, I just think it’s way past time to sound the warning bell. I don’t think we have any idea how horrible, how swift, how terrible the judgement of God can be.

But the imminent judgement of God is not the purpose of this post. My purpose is to point out that even when the “fig tree” doesn’t blossom, the olives fail, and the “fields yield no food”, etc…. even when things are very hard and the judgement of the Lord falls…..

“YET… I will rejoice in the Lord.” We still have reason for rejoicing, even if our land falls to great tribulation and hardship. For our purpose hasn’t changed no matter the circumstances of our life. No matter how difficult things may be, our main purpose is still “to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” We enjoy him through fellowship with him. Fellowship with our Father is not dependent on our outward circumstances. Just ask Corrie Ten Boom, or Richard Wurmbrand, or the Apostles Paul, Peter, John, or a thousand other Christians who lived to see hard days.

He is our strength friends! He causes us to run where others dare not even crawl! Why? Because there is nothing too hard, too big, too scary for him to handle. He never get’s worried. He never says “Uh-oh…Didn’t see that one coming.” Nope. Doesn’t happen.

Read that last part again and just let it sink in. And maybe remember to read it again when the hammer falls hard, or the pressure mounts, or there doesn’t seem to be a way out, or etc., etc., etc….   😉