God's Plan!

Jeremiah 29:10-13, says, "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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (NIV)


Friends, I know for many of us, 2010 was a tough year. Some of us have lost loved ones, some of us suffered through great battles with our health. Many of us struggled with financial burdens, as we learned how to survive on a whole lot less, in this economic down turn. So as we read Jeremiah 29, we are faced with a decision to either believe God and take Him at His Word, or give in to the accusations of the enemies lies, whispering that… “God’s forgotten us.” “He is punishing us.” Or even as bold of a lie, hidden in faith doubting questions of “Who is God?” “Is He really Who we thought He was?”

I’ve often heard Jeremiah 29 quoted, but as I read this passage recently, the Holy Spirit highlighted a truth hidden from my view. In Jeremiah 29:14 we read, "I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." (NIV)

As I reflect on verse 14, I am awestruck by our God’s Sovereignty. The words I have banished you and I carried you into exile wowed me with many questions. I won’t go into all the theological ramifications of attempting to explain or discuss the SOVEREIGNTY of GOD…HOWEVER, I do want to focus on what God taught me through this passage of Scripture.

As we go into 2011, whether our circumstances look bleak, or we feel as though we are walking on streets of gold and blessings are on every side…one thing we can know with certainty.

God promises us a few things from this passage of Scripture:

1. God is in control. He knows the plans He has for us. And though He doesn’t reveal the specifics, He promises that regardless of our circumstances we can trust that each step along our journey is to prosper us, and to give us hope and a secure future. God is NOT devising ways to make us suffer. No matter how bleak our future looks…GOD IS IN CONTROL. And He promises us secondly, that:

2. When we call on Him….when we come to Him and pray…HE IS LISTENING. Beloved, God is near. You’re prayers aren’t just hitting the ceiling and bouncing back down; they break through the atmosphere, and land before the throne of God, intertwining with the Jesus’ prayers, Who ever lives to make intercession for us as believers. God promises that:

3. We will seek and find HIM when we seek Him with ALL of our heart. Though we go through turmoil, though we face hardships, we are NOT alone. God will never leave us or forsake us. The fiery trials will NOT consume us…our lifeline however must be found in pressing on relentlessly, seeking after God with every ounce of our being…NEVER letting go…and crying out to GOD with ALL of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. AND GOD PROMISES that when we do that:

4. HE WILL BE FOUND by us. We WILL discover a greater revelation of WHO HE IS. We WILL experience a greater intimacy of HIS very PRESENCE. He is close to the broken-hearted. He saves those who are crushed in spirit. Though we feel banished, though we feel exiled, wandering in our own spiritual desert, God promises that:

5. He WILL gather us from the places He’s banished us to and WILL bring us back from the place He carried us into exile. IN OTHER WORDS, GOD has been and WILL FOREVER be with us…masterfully working ALL THINGS together for our good…Carrying us…Holding us…Secure in HIS LOVE.

HIS PLANS ARE TO BLESS AND NOT HARM. So regardless of our circumstances my dear friends…as we go into 2011…we can KNOW CONFIDENTLY as Chris Tomlin sings in His Song Our God…that our God is BIGGER…OUR GOD IS STRONGER…our God is Higher than any other…OUR GOD IS HEALER…Awesome in power…

HE IS OUR GOD…AND OUR GOD CAN BE TRUSTED…

PRAYER: Father, thank You that You are with us always. Thank You that Your plans are for our good. Fill us with Your peace, strengthen us with Your presence, and fill us with wisdom, power, and love to live as You have called us to. In Jesus name, amen.