Throughout the Bible, one message is delivered time and again, God has a purpose and plan for each of our lives.

From Jeremiah’s prophecy during Judah’s darkest hour while in Babylonian captivity, God still had a plan and a purpose for every person, even though they had been ripped from the promised land:

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11 NIV)

The Apostle Paul writes that we are all part of the Body of Christ, and each of us are gifted with a unique and necessary role. And Paul adds that those with seemingly lesser roles are often the most important (1 Corinthians 12:21-25).

So, it is vital that you find God’s purpose for your life, because according to research by Harvard University’s School of Public Health, those who have a sense of purpose live longer lives, StudyFinds reports.

The research team led by Dr. Koichiro Shiba came to this conclusion after tracking 13,000 people over the age of 50 during an eight-year period.

At the beginning of the study, each participant was given a psychological test to determine the level of purpose they had in their lives.

The survey found that no matter, their level of income, sex, and health, those with the highest sense of purpose had “the lowest risk of death (15.2%) in comparison to others with the lowest observed sense of purpose (36.5%).”

StudyFinds adds:

“Defined as, the extent to which someone perceives a sense of direction and goals in their life, “purpose” has been linked to numerous health benefits in recent years. That includes improved physical functioning, lower risk of cardiovascular disease, and a lower risk of cognitive decline.”

“’Having a purpose in life has been known to improve many health outcomes on average,’ says study lead author Dr. Koichiro Shiba, assistant professor of epidemiology at BUSPH, in a media release. ‘“’In another study I led, we found that the effect of purpose on lowering all-cause mortality may differ by socioeconomic status. In this study, we extended the prior evidence and found that the beneficial effect of purpose persisted regardless of gender and race/ethnicity.’”

READ: People with stronger sense of purpose in life live longer, study suggests

Where there is no vision, the people are unrestrained,
But happy is one who keeps the Law. (Proverbs 29:18 NASV)