He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God.”
Micah 6:8 ESV
If you are anything like I am, you have cried out to God at one point in time or another, asking Him: “What do you want from me? Why am I here? What is your will for my life? Is there a point to our existence down here?” I mean, surely there is a purpose the lay person can grasp without going to seminary or becoming a philosopher?
The first time I heard the verse Micah 6:8 I was sitting in my therapist's office. I was celebrating about eight months of sobriety at the time, except every day felt like a struggle instead of a celebration. I had recently gotten out of an emotionally toxic relationship with a man I started dating in rehab. I worked overnight as a certified nursing assistant at a local nursing home at close to the minimum wage to provide for my two boys and I was physically and mentally exhausted. I was almost at the end of my rope, and the excitement of my newfound born-again relationship with Christ was wearing off when I realized there wasn’t a system to how God works so that I could manipulate Him into making my life perfect.
What struck me after she finished reading the verse to me was the 6:8 part of the verse because my birthday is June 8th (I am self admittedly egotistical like that at times). I asked her to reread it, and that’s when it felt like a lightning bolt had struck me. All those times when I was crying out in the pit of my pain asking Him what He wanted from me, He had already put the answer in front of my face:
“He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you”
I could almost hear him lovingly saying in a Billy Mays voice: “Hey woman! Do you want to know what is good and what my purpose for your life is? Do you want to know what I want from you? I have already told you the answer, but keep reading. There’s more!” Umm… yes please! So onto the next verse…
“but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God”
It was at that moment that something clicked. My glorious God, who created all of the heavens and the earth, loved me enough to make my birthday June 8th so that Micah 6:8 would stand out like a lightbulb in a dark season where I didn’t want to live anymore.
He is a personal God concerned with the big and the small things. This revelation had given me a small glimpse of hope and directed me as to what my next steps should be. In one tiny verse, He had laid out three simple steps to a joyful existence: 1) Try to do the next right thing 2) Love my neighbors, and 3) Develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ instead of seeking only head knowledge about Christ.
This event took place almost three years ago, and I’m still a hot mess at times. But at least I’m a hot mess with hope now, and I know I am deeply and profoundly loved. You are too. Never forget that truth.
If you enjoyed this part of my testimony, I encourage you to check out the rest of my story in my new book:
“We’re All Doing Our Best: Finding God’s Healing, Grace and Truth Through Examination of Our Stories.”
Everyone has a unique story. We discover the keys to the healing we all crave by working with God to examine our past.
Step out of autopilot, buckle your seat belts and let the Holy Spirit control the ride!
Thank you for your time, and I pray that wherever you are that you know just how much Jesus loves you.
You can connect with Tasha on IG or her Blog
You can purchase her book on Amazon
If you enjoyed this post you can read more here
To purchase your WALK BY FAITH TEE and support the work of Feed the Hungry and A21 click here