Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve me against the wrath of my enemies; you stretch out your hand, and your right hand delivers me. The Lord will fulfil his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures for ever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. (Psalm 138: 7-8)

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me. For many this is the ultimate answer to prayer.

I wonder if so many worried so much about purpose in prior generations. A self-conscious pre-occupation with purpose seems particular to the post-enlightenment and especially the last 70 years.

Concern for purpose is surely fundamental to being human. We find it front and center in Gilgamesh and the Socratic dialogues. But in these examples the searching is active, confident, even playful.

Today our search so often seems tentative, uncertain, passive. We worry over purpose more than search for it.

The psalmist is aware he has not yet fulfilled his purpose. But he is confident that in relationship with God his purpose will be found and fulfilled.

Above is Diver by Jasper Johns.