more to it

Sometimes, I hold tightly to a certain verse, without exploring or really thinking much about the context around it.

For example, Jeremiah 29:11. Great verse, quoted often, builds confidence in Christ, and a whole lot of other great things. I even have a ring with the verse engraved on it, I like it so much. But, this verse is often the only one in that chapter that is brought to attention.

Today, I finished another book, Orphanology, and they quoted this verse, along with the few that followed it. And, it's teaching me much.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear 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 ... {Jeremiah 29:11-14a}

Jeremiah is writing to the people of the Lord whom the evil King Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem into exile to Babylon. I don't think they wanted to be there. They were confused, and probably upset. (Oh, and I am in no way a Bible scholar, so please do your own examination!) But, it doesn't seem like such a "good" plan to them.

God has a plan for us. Yes. Does that mean that only the good, happy things we can think of in life is what will happen? No. What I think it means, is that His plan for us is FOR OUR good, not evil. We will have difficult, painful, crazy ick times (like the exiles did), but it is for good, not evil. He is growing us. Teaching us to lean, on Him. Making us run towards that future with Him, and that hope of eternity, celebrating with Him! I love how it says after it talks about His plan, that THEN we will call on Him. We will come to Him. We will pray to Him.

I don't know about you, but I am terribly self-sufficient. Scratch that, I THINK AND ACT like I am terribly self-sufficient. I really am not. I am weak, helpless, powerless. But sometimes I forget that, and then in turn, forget to call out to God, to come to Him, to pray. Shame on me. That's where I've come to see that His path, His plan, may not always be easy, but it causes me, in my forgetful state of mind, to cling to Him even more, to cry out to Him. And that is GOOD, not evil. I'm so thankful for that.

And then, He gives us more beautiful promises. He will listen. He will be found. We just need to seek him with all our heart. And, if you continue to read on in Jeremiah 29, He promises restoration as well. He promises to bring the exiles back, they just need to trust ... remember, His plan is FOR GOOD, not evil!

Lord, thank You for Your plans. May I cry out to You, not only in the difficult, but in the good. May I trust You and hold tight to Your promises. You have my heart.