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. – Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite bible verses. That wasn’t always the case… mainly because back in the day I never really felt a connection to what it said. Oh how that has changed over the years.
God says He knows the plans He has for me. First that tells me that He has plans for me, and that He knows what they are. Having plans means there’s a future, something to look forward to, something to strive for, to wait for, to hope for.
Then He says they are plans to prosper me and not to harm me. When we read or hear the word *prosper*, our human minds might automatically assume the word has to do with money and finances. Of course, it can mean that. But when you think about it, prospering can be so much more. It can mean increasing our income, but it can also mean increasing things like our family, increasing relationships with friends, increasing our marriage, increasing our ethics, increasing our compassion for others, increasing our understanding, increasing our wisdom, increasing out knowledge, etc.
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And then God says His plans include giving me hope and a future. Those words are the most important to me personally – God’s plans for me include giving me hope and a future. Think about what that says – hope, a future. Powerful words!
So many folks today are without hope. They don’t have hope today and they certainly don’t see a future without hope. I’ve been there. There was a time many years ago that I didn’t have hope, I didn’t see a future for myself, and I surely didn’t see myself prospering then or anytime coming. I plugged along, just as many today do, honestly not expecting life to ever get any better or different. Frankly, I thought that was as good as it got – that feeling empty was normal. I got up, went to work, came home, lived until time to sleep, slept, and started the same thing over the next day. Basically I rinsed and repeated – for years.
Then one day it all changed. I don’t even know when or how. It’s like my eyes were opened and I knew God has plans for me, plans to prosper me and not harm me, plans to give me hope and a future. And just like that, I prospered in so many areas of my life – kids, marriage, relationships, work, understanding, compassion, etc. I had hope and I had a future! I’m still prospering and I still have hope and I still have a future!
So I want to tell you this – if you’re feeling the way I used to feel, I’m here to tell you that you DO have hope and you DO have a future! God has plans for you! He has a life for you! It might not be the way YOU want, but it is and will be the way HE wants it (and that’s what makes it SO good and SO right!).
A lot of times, especially when we’re young, we want things our way. We want our life to go our way. We want the spouse we want. We want, we want, we want. That’s the problem! If we stop trying to struggle against God and stop trying to do it all our way and listen to God, then He can work and move in our lives. And let me tell you, when we let God lead us and let God design our lives, oh how much more wonderful and peaceful that life is.
I lived many years determined to do it my way. I wanted what I wanted. When I finally listened to God and let Him lead me, I found happiness and joy and peace and hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of my favorite bible verses because it tells me that God has plans for me, that He wants for me to prosper in all areas of my life, that He wants to give me hope and a future. It’s a promise, it’s hope, it’s a plan, it’s life.
If you’re not feeling a connection to Jeremiah 29:11 and you want to find it, here’s what to do that can help. Turn off the phone, turn off the computer, turn off the radio, turn off the TV. Open a bible. Read Jeremiah 29:11 and read it again, until you get it, until you understand it, until you accept it and believe it as God’s promise to you. Then keep believing it and keep knowing it. Have faith that God will do what He says He will do.  🙂
