1b May the name of the God of Jacob defend you; 2 May He send you help from the sanctuary, And strengthen you out of Zion; 3 May He remember all your offerings, And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah 4 May He grant you according to your heart's desire, And fulfill all your purpose. 5 We will rejoice in your salvation, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners! May the Lord fulfill all your petitions.
God has created all of us to enter into a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ - He desires for all to be saved, and then to walk in the purposes He has for us. He has uniquely gifted each of us, and He will reveal His will to us as we spend time in careful study and meditation in His word, and as we attune ourselves to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, who will guide us into all truth, who will show us how we are to live and enable us to walk in a manner glorifying to Christ.
Jeremiah 29 reminds us that God does have a plan for our lives:
11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
She was known as the "What?" girl in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her teammate, Lolo Jones, was favored in the 100 meter hurdles in those Games, and as Dawn Harper crossed the finish line for gold, all she could say was "What?".
According to a piece on GMC.tv, Dawn recalled, “The first thing they asked me was, ‘Did you see Lolo Jones hit the hurdle?’...And I was thinking, ‘If I saw her, I would hit my hurdle.’ Then they started to ask things like, ‘Where are you from? Who is your coach?’ And I remember one reporter was interviewing me and he looked down at his notebook and there was nothing on the page. So he just said, ‘Tell me about yourself.’ But that’s where I really thanked God because no man can determine my journey. You don’t have to know me because I’ll make your know me.”
On Tuesday, Dawn Harper for a few seconds was apparently wondering if she had won gold again in London, finishing a close second to Australia's Sally Pearson in the 100 meters. Dawn has a redemption story of coming out of an impoverished background, chasing a hope and dream, fueled by faith. In fact, she crossed the finish line in Beijing in a pair of borrowed spikes, well-entrenched in the long shadow of the outspoken Jones. But, she's clear on her purpose, and has continued to work, train, and reach for Olympic glory - and the glory of God. She told BeliefNet:
My faith was definitely a part of me growing up. I went to church on Sundays, but I knew that God was real in my life. A lot of people start to look towards God when they get hurt, and when I hurt myself as a sophomore and had knee surgery, the doctors told me I would probably never run as fast again. I was only 15 years old and track was what I wanted to do. So when I came back from that, I realized there must be a bigger plan for me. And then, when I had knee surgery before the (2008) Olympics, that just sealed the deal. I was thinking, “There is another plan for me that I may not see for myself. I’m supposed to reach out to other people and show them what God can do because of what He’s done through me.” I knew that it was all about giving God the glory.
It would be easy for Dawn to become discouraged - after all, there has been so much attention given to other Olympians, including her American rival, the gold medal favorite 4 years ago, who led the race until she hit the last hurdle. But, Dawn has labored in those shadows, and after gold in Beijing, came very close again this year.
Dawn Harper is a great reminder for all of us that we were created for a purpose - He has a plan for us, and it is so important that we seek His face, and allow His Spirit to direct our paths. There will be distractions along the way, but through determination and dependence on Him, He will fulfill His purposes for us.
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