Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - What Was I Made For? | The Writings | Psalm 66

Episode Date: May 29, 2024

Billie Eilish asked a question we all wrestle with: "What Was I Made For?" How would you respond? What were you made for? Does your life have purpose? In today's episode, Jensen shares how Psalm 66 gives us a purpose with eternal significance. Read the Bible with us in 2024! This year, we’re tackling a group of Old Testament books traditionally known as “The Writings”— Psalms, Chronicles, Proverbs, Daniel, Ruth and more! Download your reading plan now. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it so that others can find it, too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Psalm 66

Welcome to 10-minute Bible Talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jensen Holt McNair. Billy Eilish became the youngest person to win two Academy Awards this year when she won her second Oscar for the best original song. The song that got her there is titled, What Was I Made For? And it's off the Barbie soundtrack. So on one level, this song asked the question, what was the Barbie doll made for? What was her purpose? Is she just a toy or something more? But clearly, on another level, with the song and film's popularity, it is also asking a deeper question. See, the song didn't just win because it's a bop, although it definitely is.

It won because it resonated with a question that every human being is wondering. What was I made for? Why am I here? See, her lyrics and the swelling music draws out that longing, within us to know what our purpose is. What were you made for? Now, I'll just level with you. You can answer that question thousands of different ways. People without an answer to that question often feel lost, depressed, deep sadness, and apathy. No one really likes to stay there. So the rest of us often answer that question in ways that suit our needs, our desires, our circumstances.

I was made to be a mom. I was made to love my soulmate. I was made to make a difference. I was made to seek adventure. I was made to be authentic, to make money, to have fun, to get the most out of life. The thing about the Bible is that it doesn't let us answer that question for ourselves. It tells us, which for many people, may seem stifling and restricting. But here's the thing. When we try to fill in the answer to the question, what was? was I made for? By ourselves, we will never find an answer that satisfies. We could always do more. We could always be more. Things fail and fall apart. People die, dreams change, money, sex, fame. They don't satisfy. Somehow, some way, if we're honest with ourselves, we end up without an answer. Nothing fully satisfies. The answers we give are never big enough, never good enough.

never lasting. Jim Carrey found himself at this realization and gave this insight to a reporter. There's no meaning to any of this. I wanted to find the most meaningless thing I could come to and join and here I am. I mean, you've got to admit, it's completely meaningless. Disatisfied with his answers for meaning, Carrie concluded that we weren't made for anything. Life is meaningless, and the sooner we accept it and stop fooling ourselves, the better. He got the money and the fame and the success, and he ended up concluding that there isn't an answer. We weren't made for anything, and it's not worth trying to fill in the blank. That's pretty depressing stuff. But what if he's wrong?

What if we were not just made for something, but by someone? And what if the person who made us, made us in such a way that we will only find fulfillment, only find happiness, joy, peace, prosperity, when we live and do. what we were made to do. See, remember, the Bible doesn't let us answer the question for ourselves. It tells us. And what if that isn't restricting? What if the answer the Bible gives frees us up to find a real human flourishing? See, throughout the Old Testament, we see the story of God and humanity that reveals the true, fulfilling answer to this question. Genesis 1, 26 through 28, tells us that humans were created by God and in his image, and that we were created to rule over

his creation, to care for it, to cultivate it, to create with it, to utilize it, and to help it flourish. In Genesis 3, humans, Adam and Eve, rejected God's purpose for their lives and attempted to decide what is best for them on their own terms. They wanted to answer the question of what they were made for on their own. But they couldn't change the fact that they were created by God and for his purposes. And so Genesis 12 tells us that God would not allow humanity to continue in their rebellion. He loved them too much. And so he chose Abraham to bless him and make him into a nation.

And we're told that he does this so that this nation would be a blessing to the entire world. You see, from the very beginning, God's chosen people were created. created to spread, to multiply, and to bring all of creation back into God's blessing, to bless the world by being a light, a light that showed and reminded and pointed all of creation back to the truth that they have a creator, and they were embedded with a purpose by that creator. Now, in Psalm 66, long after the time of Abraham, God's people have grown into a nation. And the Psalms were their hymnal, the songs they would sing to praise God and cry out to him. And in this particular Psalm, we see a beautiful reminder of the purpose of God's people.

The Psalm begins offering praise to God. Shout for joy to God all the earth. Sing the glory of His name. Give to him glorious praise. Say to God, how awesome are your deeds. So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you. They sing praises to your name.

Now notice the imagery of the whole earth praising God for his awesome deeds. All of the earth is worshipping God. In the next verses, the psalmist gives us a reason why the whole earth worships the Lord. Verse five, come and see what he has done. He is awesome in his deeds towards the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land. They passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations.

let not the rebellious exalt themselves. The psalmist invites the outsider to see what God has done for his people and for all of creation. He points them back to Exodus when God rescued his people out of slavery and delivered them into the promised land. The psalmist knows that all that God has done for his people rescuing them from slavery. And in the following verses, he touches on God's faithfulness when they faced the wilderness and various trials. All of this, God has done to testify to the nations that he is worthy of praise. His deeds are awesome and mighty. God blesses his people so that the entire world would be blessed through them. You see, after God rescued the Israelites from Egypt, Moses sang a song exulting God for his glorious power displayed in the exodus. And he talks of all the nations seeing the

power of God and knowing that he is mighty. He ends speaking of the people of God saying, you will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain. The place, oh Lord, which you have made for your abode, the sanctuary, oh Lord, which your hands have established, the Lord will reign forever and ever. Moses knows that God's faithfulness here points to a coming faithfulness where God will make everything right again, and he will reign forever with his people. Later, in the book of Revelation, John is given a vision of a time when all evil has been overcome by God. God has rescued his people once again, this time not just from one nation, but from all evil. Through King Jesus, he's overcome death and the evil one, and he has made a way for all who follow him to live in freedom as they were created to live, ruling alongside him.

And these angels that he sees are praising God for what he is. done for creation in chapter 15. And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the lamb saying, great and amazing are your deeds. Oh, Lord, God, the Almighty, just and true are your ways. O king of the nations. Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations, all nations will come and worship you for your righteous acts have been revealed. field. Do you hear the repetition of theme woven throughout scripture? God has done amazing things. He has worked marvelously on behalf of his people and he has done so, so that all of the nations, all of the earth, would come to him and worship him because he is worthy of praise.

Back in Psalm 66, the Psalm turns from we language of the people of God to I language, focusing on one person. This person comes before God and offers him vows of Thanksgiving for all he has done for God's people. And then he calls out to all people once again. He says, come and hear all of you who fear God, and I will tell you what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth and high praise was on my teeth. tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly, God has listened. He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me. See, God has heard his prayers.

This person, he desired to do what is right. He does not cherish iniquity or ask for things that would cause him to sin. And because of this, God has blessed him. He's heard his prayer. And he calls on others to come and hear so that they can know the awesome deeds of God and praise him. See, this Psalm, it gives us a beautiful picture. God works in the lives of his faithful followers so that they can share about his goodness and faithfulness and encourage the people of God. And God works for the good of his people, rescuing them, sustaining them, keeping them secure so that the world would know and worship God. as their creator. You see, as long as we incorrectly answer the question, what was I made for?

As long as we try to find purpose and meaning outside of what we were created for, we will feel restless, lost, meaningless. Nothing will be enough. Nothing will fit because we were created. You were created with a purpose. Humanity was created to rule alongside their creator, to care for his creation, to live under his kingship, worshiping and bringing God glory forever. Trying to make our own way, we rejected our created purpose, and we sought to find meaning on our own.

But God is faithful. And from the very beginning, he has been working through his people. He has blessed them, kept them, rescued them, first in the exodus, and finally with the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus' Christ and he does this, not just for the sake of his people, but so that they would continue to spread

his kingdom, to show the world of the glorious, merciful, loving, amazing deeds of their creator. You were created by God and for a purpose. You were made to worship him, to honor him, and to rule alongside him in his kingdom for all of eternity. Your purpose was set. from the beginning of all creation. You will not find meaning anywhere else. You will not find fulfillment anywhere else you can't. You were created with a purpose in mind by a good and loving creator. And he has made a way for you to freely live out that purpose. Despite your rebellion, God is faithful. He has made a way. You don't have to wonder what you are made for. You have a beautiful will you step into the mission of God's people today? Will you live into that purpose?

Showing the world the awesome deeds of God, shining alight to the nations of the goodness of God and worshiping your creator for his steadfast faithfulness and pursuit. Amen.