In summing up King David’s amazing life (no less than 67 chapters in all spread over 4 books of the old testament is dedicated to it!), the apostle Paul captured it in its entirety in one single sentence – he served God’s purpose in his generation (Acts 13:36). When all was said and done, David’s life boiled down to one thing – serving God’s purpose in his generation.

What an epitaph, what an eulogy, to have served God’s – not man’s but God’s – purposes in one’s own generation!

Who’s purpose do you want to serve in your generation? Your own? Other people’s? Or do you want to follow David’s shining example of serving God’s purpose in your life and generation?

That same desire and determination to serve the purposes of God was found in the Lord Jesus Christ who Himself declared that He came into the world for one purpose and one purpose only – to do the will of God. Christ’s desire to accomplish the purpose of God was, very aptly, prophetically uttered by King David many hundreds of years ago initially in Psalm 40:7 – 8 and subsequently cited in Hebrews 10:7 – Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

The one and same Spirit who inspired David to serve God’s purpose in his generation energized and empowered Christ to serve God’s purpose during His life on earth (John 3:34 & Heb 9:14). His profound sense of completion and fulfillment of God’s purpose confidently declared on the cross of Calvary (John 19:30 – It is finished!) emanated from having entirely accomplished the Father’s will. Our Lord repeatedly confessed, “… I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”
John 6:38

This was the determination that drove and characterized our Saviour’s life here on earth, to prioritise and execute the will of God His Father.

What a goal, what a determination, what a purpose!

This necessitated a close walk with God not only to continually discern the Father’s will but to maintain the drive and desire for it too. As we see from their lives in both David’s and Christ’s case this intimacy with God, this closeness of walk with Him was of primary importance and significance.

We see clearly from Christ’s life that He jealously guarded and sacrificially maintained this closeness with the Father through a dedicated time of daily and prolific communion despite the demand on time that even so called “ministry” seemed to impose on Him. Our Lord lived a perfect life but not so David – no, far from it. However, he made intimacy with God the priority and cornerstone of his life to which he kept coming back all the time.

For you too there is no higher goal you can achieve or purpose you can live for and accomplish with your life here on earth than serve your Creator’s purpose. May this be the burning desire and heartbeat of your lives, to serve – not even your own or any other person’s – but God’s purpose in your generation.

Let us not only seek and wrestle in prayer but, like David, let us also commit and determine to serve God’s purpose in our own generation and not settle for anything less.

This is where the fulfilled life is found – in the life wholly committed and surrendered to the purpose of God. Period.