Word of the Day (12-15-11)

Good Morning Everyone

Today is Thursday December 15, 2011

The word of the day comes from Jeremiah 29:10

¹⁰ This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.^[1] That is key because what God shows us in verse 10 leads me to my first point.

We can trust God knows what He is doing

 Go ahead, you can let out a sigh of relief that God isn’t making it up as He goes along. He knows just how long every event will take place before God delivers the children of Israel. God knows just how long every obstacle, setback, trial, tribulation, storm, sin, problem, issue, tear will last in your life and in my life before our deliverance, our restoration, our rejuvenation, our blessing, our breakthrough, will take place. Up until then, I might have been wondering, God what are you doing? Why are you asking me to basically settle into my captivity? That doesn’t seem fair or logical but Isaiah 55:8-9 reads: Isaiah 55:8-10 ⁸ “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. ⁹ “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.

But as we will soon find out there is “A hope in God’s plan”. This thought is more realized as we get to our text for today and see that God had a plan for their lives the whole time. He wasn’t wrongfully punishing them. Their captivity had a purpose. Our lives are planned out with a purpose and even wrong doing an injustice can still lead us to believe there is “A hope in God’s plan”.

My study Bible tells me as it relates to Jeremiah 29:11 (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 the 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). I love that last line it does not mean that will be spared…How many people in here like pain? How many people in here welcome suffering?  How many people in here are eager to endure hardships? None of us really are if we would be honest with ourselves. That doesn’t mean we can’t handle it, if the situation presented itself, there are many of us who could handle it but that doesn’t mean we actually want to go through it. It’s human nature. Even Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane didn’t want to endure pain, suffering, and hardships He wanted His Father to spare Him. But Jesus was able to endure the pain of cross, the suffering of the cross, the hardships of the cross because He had a hope in God’s plan.

            I know life hasn’t always dealt you a great hand but that isn’t the issue. Can I ask you a question? In spite of all that has happened to you that you didn’t like, felt you didn’t deserve, it left you angered, depressed, frustrated, self doubting, etc in those moments, can you still be counted by God to have “A hope in God’s plan”?

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^[1] The New International Version. 2011 (Je 29:10). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

Have a wonderful, blessed, productive, stress free day!