Do You Know Your “Why?”

Do you know why you are here? What’s your guiding light? Powered principles? The focus of life? Surely you know why!

Ruminating My Answers

Perhaps my “why” is what I started out my true path of believing sitting around the dining table at midnight, affirmed by the miracle that happened to me.

When I turned 16, my family gave me my first study Bible. A Zondervan New Encyclopedic Reference Edition of the Authorized King James Version. It kept me through my teenage years and into parenthood. It’s been recovered once because I wore it out! Alongside this bible are the black vinyl zippered 6-ringed notebooks I kept with notes about the preacher, his scriptures, titles, and perhaps lessons learned from sitting through hundreds of services for about 10 years.

This was and is my prized possession.

Although I have passed it on to my son and he holds it in trust in his library, it is my bible with my favorite life-changing memories. It’s not as marked up as my more adult bibles, but it has many favorite scriptures and memories highlighted with a marker and pen. It represents the growth of a teenager into adulthood and went with me everywhere. I read through it multiple times. It holds many memories of life’s lessons learned and lived.

Let me share one of them.

In my sixteenth year, 1971, I was entering my final year of high school, just before I met my bride. I was constantly busy working various jobs, mowing yards, and completely involved with my favorite church and the youth choir, choir trips, and singing every Sunday night.

One Sunday night after a very Spirit-filled service, I headed home in my first car (it looked something like this if it were totally complete!), and as was my habit it seemed like I was always giving others a ride home. I finally walked into a totally quiet house. Around midnight. Everyone was asleep. We had a large dining table, so I sat down in the dark with a single light over the table turned on. I began to relive and enjoy the whole day. I was busy teaching Sunday School, loved singing in the youth choir, and of course, being part of a tremendous youth group. The night felt very special.

God Speaks Through His Word

As I sat at the table, I asked God to speak to me through His Word. I stood the bible up on edge, closed my eyes, let it fall open, and put my finger on the page. What I read really threw me for a loop. This had never happened before. The scripture was:

“I have been young, and now am old;
yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken,
nor his seed begging bread.” (Psalms 37:25 KJV)

This was the first choir song we sang that night.

Karen Morris had the lead if my generational memory serves me correctly, and it started out slow before we moved to a faster tempo.

• Have you ever been hungry? Jesus will feed you.
  Have you ever really needed Him when He didn’t need you?
  Have you ever seen someone who was down and out,
  That Jesus just didn’t care about?
  I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken,
  Or his seed out begging for bread.
• Has he ever passed you by when you needed a savior?
  Has he ever once time ignored your cry when you asked him for a favor?
  Has he ever once, turned his back on you?
  No, when you need the Lord He’ll see you through.
  I’ve never seen the righteous forsaken,
  Or his seed out begging for bread.
• Chorus: You may be down today, but help is on the way.
  Dark clouds may dim your sky,
  but He’ll answer you by and by.
  If you take one step, He’ll take two.
  Why don’t you see what the Lord will do!
  I’ve never seen the righteous forsake!
  Or his seed out begging for bread!

Quickly, I closed my bible…

Shocked by the coincidence of scripture and song… I prayed. Lord. Do it again! I held the bible up on the edge, closed my eyes, let the Bible fall open, and pointed my finger at the page. When I opened my eyes, my finger pointed at the second shock of the night! It was the second choir song we sang that night!

“For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalms 30:5 KJV)

This song was led by Sam Franks. I can hear him singing it right now! Weeping may endure for a night, but Joy, Joy, Joy, cometh in the morning!

I don’t remember all the words, nor can I find the exact lyrics, or a recording, but it was a powerful song!

But a powerful thing happened in my life that night.

God was real in my life, and I believed in His presence more than ever before. Neither of these scriptures was highlighted. The bible was new and maybe it’s only right that they fall open to the middle of the book (which was probably around the Psalms), but to have my finger land on the two scriptures that we sang from that night… Well. This confirmed God’s Word was real, and it was for me. Historically and into my future!

I realized then, and know even more now, that what I live, is what I find in the Word of God. This is my Why!

It’s not an accident that these two songs have given me the power of perseverance when life seems dark and gloomy. It was that late night, in 1971 that my confirmation of living for God was firmly founded…

This is my Why

From an experience as old as the hills, back in 1971, God showed me His Word was real, and it can impact my life. This was not an accident! It’s my favorite thing! And if it can be so simply said, This is my Why…