Our Future and Hope
“I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me in earnest, you will find me when you seek me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13
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What an encouraging word this must have been to the Israelites, who had just learned that they would be exiled to Babylon for seventy years. When chaos and confusion were rampant, when their lives had been turned upside down, this word of hope came to guide them through their years of captivity. When our lives don’t make sense and our futures look hopeless, the profound truth in these verses gives us a new perspective. God says, “I know the plans I have for you” [italics added]. He’s not hoping he can conjure something up, nor is he wringing his hands and wondering what went wrong. His eternal plans for you and for me were established before the foundation of the world, and nothing can derail them.
What is the condition for God’s plans being fulfilled in our lives? This passage tells us to seek him earnestly—not halfheartedly, not occasionally, but with all of our hearts. Through earnest prayer we can expect to see his good plans for our future and our hope. In the process, we can also expect to find God.
Prayers:
LORD, thank you that you have planned a future and a hope for my life. Because of your power and your faithfulness, I know that nothing in my life is outside your control. Help me to fully and willingly submit to your will for my future. Draw me to look for you earnestly and to pray wholeheartedly. May my hope be grounded in your unchanging character.
Quotes:
HAVE YOU BEEN ASKING GOD WHAT HE IS GOING TO DO? HE WILL NEVER TELL YOU. GOD DOES NOT TELL YOU WHAT HE IS GOING TO DO; HE REVEALS TO YOU WHO HE IS.
Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)
The One Year Bible Readings for today are: Jeremiah 28:1–29:32; 1 Timothy 1:1-20; Psalm 86:1-17 and Proverbs 25:17.
