Jeremiah 29:11 NIV
“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.”
To know and rest in the truth that our God is Almighty and sovereign is so wonderful. He is the great and powerful God who “…makes wars to cease to the end of the earth” (Psa 46:9 AMP). When Israel was taken captive in Babylon, for example, it was to be a long time before they would return to Jerusalem. The LORD had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah and said, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you [Israel] and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place” (Jer 29:10 NIV). Yes, seven decades were to elapse before the talk about a return would be brought back to the table.
However, in the same breath with that prophecy, God graciously also spoke another word of hope. When all appeared to be dark, gloomy, and long to Israel in Babylon, the LORD spoke again saying, “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”, as in our reference Scripture. That statement of hope must have given strength and encouraged Israel greatly. It was a statement of comfort that says, ‘I’ll make it through this moment because God is not done with me yet.’ Yes, God had told them that He still had plans to prosper and give them hope and a future. Hallelujah!
Even though Israel had reported that “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion [Jerusalem]” (Psa 137:1 NIV), all of that came to a permanent end. God’s plans to prosper Israel and not to harm them, to give them hope and a future, all came to pass! Blessedly, in Christ Jesus, we also have such a great hope that “…does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us” (Rom 5:5 NIV). Hallelujah! Beyond any painful experience is God’s promise of hope and a blessed future. Keep trusting in God.
Pst. Emmanuel
