Finding Purpose in Life

I cry out to God Most High, to God who will fulfill his purpose for me

Psalm 57:2 (NLT)

You may not know the name of Johnson Oatman, Jr. He was born in New Jersey and grew up in the home of a really gifted singer. His dad was such a gifted singer, in fact, that his name and reputation made him like a celebrity in his local context.

Like his dad, young Oatman could sing too, but his gift was not as sharp. His instrument was not as finely tuned as his father’s, and this fact started to affect his emotional health.

He questioned, “Where do I fit in life?” He knew that his father had a superlative gift and that his own gift hadn’t risen to the same height—and probably never would. He didn't want to live in the shadow of his father, but wanted his life to have its own meaning and purpose.

One day as he sat in his despondency, trying to muse and ponder what his future was going to be, instead of humming one of the songs he had been singing, he took pen to parchment and started scoring the song. That was a new beginning for Johnson Oatman, Jr.

Released from his life was a gift more remarkable than his father’s—because while the father had a gift to sing, God gave the son the gift to write. And because God gave the son the gift to write, we have these words:

There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!
None else could heal all our soul’s diseases,
No, not one! No, not one!

Jesus knows all about our struggles,
He will guide till the day is done;
There’s not a friend like the lowly Jesus,
No, not one! No, not one!

Young Oatman wrote more than 3,000 hymns, and no hymnal is complete without including some of his insightful writings. We as believers have been immensely blessed because a young son decided that instead of giving up and sidelining himself, He would call on God to show him where he fits in life.

Cry out to God today, and continue to do so until he fulfills His purpose in you.