And David knew that the LORD had established him as king over Israel and that his kingdom had been highly exalted for the sake of his people Israel. – 1 Chronicles 14:2

Today’s Scripture Reading (August 27, 2013): 1 Chronicles 14

Captain Ahab in Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” clearly understood his purpose in life. He may not have frequently vocalized the purpose, although he does tell the crew of the “Pequod” early on in the voyage why he is there. But he also recognizes that in order to keep the crew together he would have to allow the crew at least the illusion of making money on the voyage. But money was not what the Captain is after. All he wants is the whale. Not a whale – the whale – the one known as Moby Dick and the one the captain blames for the loss of his leg. And so the voyage begins in search of the white leviathan known as “Moby Dick.”

Why am I here – the art of knowing our own reasons or purpose for being - is the question that I am afraid we don’t ask, at least not seriously. We are seldom curious about the reasons why we are in the positions that we occupy, and what kind of responsibility that we might have in the events that are happening around us. Too often we seem to believe that fate or happenstance is the reason why – or even more often that we are where we are totally because of our own efforts and therefore we are where we are for our own pleasure. But maybe the real reason why we do not ask the question “why am I here” is because ultimately deep down we believe that the question really has no answer. No one can know the reason why.

David disagreed. He knew why he was in the position that he now held. It was not because of his many talents or victories – although David had both. But when he was anointed king he had none of those things. He was nothing more than a little boy taking care of the sheep. And yet God had chosen him. Saul had been a king that seemed only want to serve his own desires. For David, God had raised him up to serve him and the nation. Life was not and could not be about David. This had to be about God and the protection of the people.

And that brings us back to the question – Why am I here? I think the answer is actually fairly easy to answer. We fulfill the purpose of our lives every time we are an encouragement to those around us. Jesus answered the question by stressing that we are to be salt and light for the world. We share in David’s purpose – we are here for the benefit of the people – all of the people – that gather around us. But that is one of the hardest things for us to learn. We might even accept that we are here for all of the people who are like us – those who believe the same as we do. But that was never David’s understanding of his purpose nor was it part of the instructions of Jesus. For David, he was there for the nation of Israel – both those who believed that he should be king and those who thought someone else would make a better ruler. And Jesus simply broadened the principle – he used the word “world.” No matter the race or religion, we are here to make this world a better place for all of us to live. We are here, in the very positions that we occupy, to be both “salt and light” for the world.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 15