“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 NIV
A Future
In a report released last April, Canadian economists said that Canadians are too concerned about the future to enjoy the vibrant present. According to the CBC,“’We’re the richest anybody’s been in the history of the universe,’ said professor emeritus Jon Cohen with the hyperbole permitted to an 82-year-old economic historian who says he’s seen it all.‘That doesn’t mean we necessarily stay that way, but right now, yeah, it’s the best of times. At the same time, it’s like we’re climbing a wall of worry,’ Cohen said.”
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If the pandemic has taught us anything it is just how fragile are the plans that we human beings make. How many vacations, business trips, family gatherings, school activities had to be postponed or cancelled because of COVID-19? Some of the plans will now never come to pass – too many families lost loved ones during the pandemic. There is a temptation to never plan anything again in light of how uncertain the future is. The follower of Jesus cannot let that fatalism settle into his or her heart. Listen to what the Bible says to us in Jeremiah 29:11: “’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.’” The context of this promise is that the people of Israel had been held in captivity in Babylon for 70 years. Many had given up hope. But God hadn’t. He had a plan for their future. He does for you as well. No matter what you are facing right now, God has a hope and a future for you.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley