By the Rev. Michael Wakeland

"Why am I still here?"

This was the question that Martha asked me as I sat by her bedside. As a chaplain at Lutheran Life Villages in Fort Wayne, Ind., I had been asked to visit with her as she had been crying a great deal and seemed to be quite depressed.

This is a question that I often hear. As people struggle to deal with the loss of a spouse or loved one, they ask themselves: “Is there a purpose for me being here?” How people answer this question often has a major impact on their mental and physical health. It also may impact how they view their spiritual lives and their relationship with God as they are tempted to blame God for their current situation.

“What is my purpose in life?”

Many people ask this question throughout their lives— perhaps first as a young person thinking about the type of work or profession they want to pursue. The answer to this question may change whether or not marriage and children enter the picture. It may change again when retirement takes place and as we move through our later years. For many, it can be discouraging when you are not able to do the activities that had formed such a vital part of your day to day, and you may ask what your purpose is in life.

We can look to God’s Word for an answer to this question. Psalm 138:8 (ESV) tells us: “The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.”

Often, when we think about our purpose in life, we do so in terms of what we can accomplish. Instead, I think that focusing on what God can do in us and through us is a much better way to see our purpose in life.

I remember sitting by the bedside of a man that had served the Lord throughout his life in many and varied ways. In his final years of life, he found himself in a nursing home, but this did not stop his service to the Lord. He showed me a notebook that he kept by his bedside that he used to guide his prayers. Each page of the notebook had the names of people that he was praying for in alphabetical order. He turned to the “W” page and pointed to my name and shared with me that he prayed for me each week as he progressed through the notebook.

This dear servant of our Lord Jesus was living out the words that the Apostle Paul wrote in Ephesians 1:16-17 (ESV): “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”

Knowing that God has a purpose for us—no matter what our situation in life currently is—helps us to live in His joy and peace.

May you continue to serve our Lord with gladness, trusting in His steadfast love and purpose for your life.

The Rev. Michael Wakeland is the director of pastoral care at Lutheran Life Villages in Fort Wayne, Ind.