Every once and a while, someone will ask me: “I’m not sure why I’m here or what I’m supposed to do with my life.” Perhaps you’ve felt that way about your life before. You grind through one day after another. Your capabilities seem to be limited by your physical strength or health. The work you are doing doesn’t seem to make more than a dent, if it even does make a dent. “Why am I even here?”
In a moment like that, we’re beginning to realize how empty all work is to give any sense of meaning or purpose. It may give you glory for a moment, but that glory always fades. And many times, it doesn’t give much glory at all; it is often dirty work that doesn’t give any sort of meaning to us. That’s why I keep on emphasizing: Roots before fruits, identity before purpose, being for doing. We have to know who we are before we can think about what we’re supposed to do. But - and this is a massive adversative - but, once we know who we are and begin to see where God has placed us, then we can see our work in a whole new way. In fact, once we embrace our God-giving (not work-earned) identity, then we will see that all our work, even the mundane, ordinary, and disgusting work, is hardly that. It’s holy work.
This Sunday, we’ll revisit one more time our identity. Once we know our identity, then we’ll have a new imagination and vision of our daily work. That’s one of the things that Stuart Townend wants to do for us in his hymn: “Before You I kneel.” I’ve shared the lyrics below; Jeff and Faith will be singing this anthem. You can listen to here. It’s a hymn that helps us see all of our work as an offering to God. Enjoy!
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We are his! Pastor Nate
1 Before You I kneel, my Master and Maker,
To offer the work of my hands.
For this is the day You've given Your servant;
I will rejoice and be glad
For the strength I have to live and breathe,
For each skill Your grace has given me,
For the needs and opportunities
That will glorify Your great name.
2 Before You I kneel and ask for Your goodness
To cover the work of my hands.
For patience and peace to shape all my labor,
Your grace for thorns in my path.
Flow within me like a living stream,
Wear away the stones of pride and greed
'Til Your ways are dwelling deep in me
And a harvest of life is grown.
3 Before You we kneel, our Master and Maker;
Establish the work of our hands.
And order our steps to seek first Your kingdom
In every small and great task.
May we live the gospel of Your grace,
Serve Your purpose in our fleeting days,
Then our lives will bring eternal praise
And all glory to Your great name.