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. Jeremiah 29:11-13
Footnote: We're all encouraged by a leader who
stirs us to move ahead, someone who believes we can do the task he has given and
who will be with us all the way. God is that kind of leader. He knows the
future, and his plans for us are good and full of hope. As long as God, who
knows the future, provides our agenda and goes with us as we fulfill his
mission, we can have boundless hope. This does not mean that we will be spared
pain, suffering, or hardship, but that God will see us through to a glorious
conclusion.
God did not forget his people, even though they
were captive in Babylon. He planned to give them a new beginning with a new
purpose -- to turn them into new people. In times of deep trouble, it may
appear as though God has forgotten you, but God may be preparing you, as he did
the people of Judah, for a new beginning with him at the center.
According to God's wise plan, his people were
to have hope and a future; consequently they could call upon him in confidence.
Although the exiles were in a difficult place and time, they should not despair
because they had God's presence, the privilege of prayer, and God' grace. God
can be sought and found when we seek him whole-heartedly. Neither strange
lands, sorrows, frustration, nor physical problems can break that
communion.
Keep reading -- 140 days left!
All footnotes taken from the Life Application Study Bible, NIV
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