"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 on 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. 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.” Jeremiah 29:11-14
One of my favorite verses in the bible is Jeremiah 29:11, and I'm sure most people can relate. Nothing is more reassuring in life than to know that God has a purpose for everyone's life and that each purpose is good and prosperous!
Although Jeremiah 29:11 is such a great verse that brings so much peace, this entire passage has convicted me. I feel like as Christians we are guilty of just looking at verse 11, "I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, ....to give you hope and a future", and completely... stopping. As if this verse is enough to "fill us up" in times of despair or confusion. Being a Senior in High School, there have been quite a few stressful moments this year, and looking at this verse has comforted me. But why must i stop there?
A part of me feels selfish. "My life is on track and I feel good, so that's enough for me... that's all i need." Is this the attitude that we get sometimes? Are we that lazy? Do not get me wrong, God loves to comfort us and He loves when we come to Him and when we acknowledge Him for giving us peace... but there's so much more to this passage than "everything is okay... just sit back and let the future come."
God wants us to pray to Him because He wants to listen, to ask of Him because He wants to bless us, to thank Him for all He does (even what we cannot see), and to seek Him with everything we have. Seeking God means to follow God.... which means to LISTEN to God. He wants us to sacrifice our wants for Him.
Sometimes, the Lord may open doors in directions that may appear to be wrong to us. Usually, pathways look "wrong" because we are afraid and we are uncomfortable. We have that little nudge from the Holy Spirit but sometimes we want to fight against it because we do not want to commit to the unknown. We are insightful humans, we should never trust our own judgment.
Everyday I cling to this verse, please read it slowly and keep in mind where God is leading you right now,
"The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name. Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me." Psalm 23:1-4
I constantly pray, "God, align my desires with yours... make me fearless and submissive to Your will". That prayer has given me strength and wisdom through big and little situations, and I encourage you to pray it too and watch the Lord change your mindset!
Everytime I read Jeremiah 29:11.. I am going to challenge myself to keep reading on. I want God to have all of me. I don't want to just look at His Word for the purpose of what i can get out of it.
I want to pursue Him. I want to submit. I want to listen... I know He has so much to say!
