June 6 - God's Plan for the Future

Read Jeremiah 29:10 - 14

Context: After many years of unfaithfulness and evil-doing, God has allowed the Babylonians to conquer the cities of Israel and to kill or capture the people. Jeremiah is writing this letter to the survivors who were exiled to Babylon. He tells them to settle down, have children, and to pray that the city prospers so they, too, can prosper.

Text:
10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 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. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. [a] 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)

Footnotes:
Jeremiah 29:14 Or will restore your fortunes
taken from www.biblegateway.com

I often wish that God would send me a letter outlining the actions I should take whenever there is a decision to be made. However, I'm not really sure if this is the type of letter I'd want...can you imagine waiting for anything for seventy years?

Yet the letter did bring good news. It allowed the people to settle in and start living their lives anew without wondering if they should escape or fight for release. Many of them knew they would not see their homeland again, but they could share their stories and their heritage with children who would one day return.

Would it help you if God let you know how long your troubles would last? Some days it would be nice to know that they will end, yet most likely his truth is that the trouble will last much longer than you think you can bear. In most cases I think I'd rather take it day to day.

As we seek to comfort others who are going through difficult times, it is tempting to say that things will get better. Yet we don't know the exact circumstances and we aren't able to prophesy God's plan. All we can do is provide God's message of hope...that he loves us and that he has our best interest, his plans to give us hope and a future, in mind.

Verse 11 is terrific to cling to in times of trouble. There are many ways that you can share it with those who need comfort. You can find it printed on coffee cups, desk sets, and book marks that will help keep it in front of someone who might not be quite ready to hear it yet. It is also a key verse in many Christian novels that provide comfort. Be creative in how you share this verse so it will be available at the time the hurting person needs it most.