The Sure Hope

"'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD.

'They are plans for good and not for disaster,

to give you a future and a hope.

In those days when you pray,

I will listen.

If you look for me wholeheartedly,

you will find me.'"

Jeremiah 29:11-13 NLT

Things couldn't get much worse.  The nation of Judah, God's chosen people, were in captivity, exiled from their beloved land, carried off by the Babylonians to live as foreigners in their strange land.  But God had not forgotten them.  As far away as they were from the temple, as distant as they felt from His presence, they were still on His mind.

He has not forgotten me, either.  No matter how far away I feel, how much on the fringes, how homeless and hopeless, desperate in my suffering or exiled in my sin, I am still on God's mind.  Here is the sure hope I have in Christ.

Good Plan.  It's nice to know God has a plan, although sometimes I may wonder when I look at my life.  It may seem like a series of unconnected, haphazard events that have no bearing on the arc of my life.  But He has a blueprint for my life that will bring about good for me and glory for Himself.  Even though I take many missteps and get off-track, His plan works around my weakness, superseding my humanness so that He always prevails.

I was recently talking to an older friend who was telling me about her long, productive life.  As she gave me a birds-eye view, I could see a pattern.  God had begun preparing her at a young age for the difficult task of later caring for her mother and then her husband as they progressed through the stages of dementia.  She trained in the field of nursing, entering into the specialty of caring for the memory-impaired, working for years in that line of work long before she knew her loved ones would be touched by such tragedy.  Yet she never considered there was a master plan let alone an Architect behind her decisions.  She saw it as just a series of random events that happened to work out in a positive way.

In reality, God has such a plan as this for each life, whether it is acknowledged or not.  Thus, I can look forward with hope to the good things He has in store for me.  When I take a close look, desiring to see His handiwork, I will see His mark.  If He went so far as to sacrifice His own Son in order to save me from eternal separation from Him, won't He do whatever it takes to give me the life He created for me (Romans 8:32)?  Is there anything or anyone, including myself, that can stop His plan from unfolding?  I think not.

I have the hope of God's good plan that is designed for my good and His glory.

Attentive.  It's hard to imagine or even fathom.  God is so big, so awesome, so majestic, why would He even bother with the likes of me?  With all that He has on His plate, keeping the planets aligned and the stars from crashing into each other, each heart beating and every complicated system running, how is He even able to pay attention to what is going on with my insignificant life?  Yet He does.

If God had a refrigerator, my picture would be proudly displayed there.  He delights in me, tickled by my very existence (Zephaniah 3:17).  There's nothing I have to do to prove my worth or to capture His eye.  I already have His undivided attention because I was created for His purposes.  The very fact that He made me in His own image gives me unimaginable worth.  It causes Him to rejoice over me!  Therefore, when I cry out to Him, He hears, even if I can't imagine such a thing.  When I share my heart with Him, He treasures such intimacy, even if He feels very far away at the moment.  When I speak, He listens, even if I feel abandoned.

I have the assurance of God's attentive and compassionate nature.

Approachable.  He is holy (Isaiah 6:3, Psalm 77:13).  Hallowed is His very name (Matthew 6:9).  Consecrated is His divine nature.  My sin makes coming near to Him impossible (Isaiah 59:2).  I feel dirty and ashamed to even think about reaching out to Him.  I mean, who do I think I am, anyway?  To approach God himself?  Forget it, it's just not proper.

It's good to understand God's holy nature and to stand in awe of Him, yet Jesus changed everything.  When He gave His life on the cross as a ransom for my sin, His blood covers my filthiness when I trust my life to Him, making me appear as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).  Because of this imputed righteousness that comes by faith in Him, I can unashamedly come to God whenever I wish (2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:16).  The heavy curtain that used to shroud the holy of holies that represented God's presence in His temple has been torn, symbolizing God's accessibility through faith in Jesus (Matthew 27:51).  The heart of God is for Him to be part of His peoples' lives.  It is not His desire to exist as an aloof deity who sits high above and never interacts with those He created.  Instead, He desires to be found.  And He made it easy for the common man to find Him if they look with all their heart.

I have complete and total access to God through faith in Jesus.

Even when I'm at my worst, have hit bottom, couldn't get any lower, I have hope.  How?  Because God designed His creation to be infused with it.  Hope is found in His good plan for me, in His attentive nature, and in His approachable Spirit.  Through Jesus, I have a sure hope.  And so, you see, no matter how bad things seem, there is good to be found.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to look for His handiwork in the midst of the mess.

When do I despair, feeling as if there is no hope?

How do I fail to look for God, feeling like He's far away even though He's right there waiting to be found?  

   

God Mixes It Up

"Consider what God has done:

Who can straighten

what He has made crooked?

When times are good, be happy;

but when times are bad, consider this:

God has made the one

as well as the other.

Therefore, no one can discover

anything about their future."

Ecclesiastes 7:13-14

There are so many plans I could make and attempt to carry out in order to give me the life I want.  I recently read about a high school graduate who has his life planned out until he was 43 at which time he believes he will become President of the United States.  While this culture applauds such confidence and ambition, (evidenced by the fact that his story was printed on the front page of the local paper) is it a godly approach to life?  Can any of us really predict the future?  

Only God knows for certain.  Consequently, how should we live?

Control.  My grandmother did it before me and I have inherited her habit.  We share an affinity for weather reports.  While I don't record each day's conditions like she did, I am fascinated by forecasts.  A day is just not complete until I see what the weatherman thinks is headed our way for the coming hours.  The one thing I have noticed is that no one can predict the weather with 100% accuracy. I chalk this up to the sovereignty of God.

In the same way that rain can come on the day of the picnic even though sun is forecast, my own plans can be messed up by an unforeseen event.  Whether it is sickness, an accident, a natural disaster or some other crisis, God could allow hardship and suffering into my life at any time.  As a child of the King, I can be assured that whatever He approves of for my life will test my faith and grow my character (James 1:2, 1 Peter 1:6-7, Romans 5:3-5).  It all is part of His glorious design that will bring about His best for me while pointing others to Him (Romans 8:28).

As I live my life, peace will come when I rest in the truth of God's sovereignty: He controls my future.

Formula.  "God will give you a good life because you are taking care of children."  My Muslim friend confidently proclaimed this belief to me when my family ran a free afterschool program in our neighborhood.  Her faith taught her that good deeds produces a comfortable, carefree life and that Allah, her god, would reward endeavors performed with a pure heart by shielding her from hardship. 

The One True God does not follow this kind of mindset.  In fact, if I want to live on Easy Street, I had probably better avoid following Jesus (John 15:18-25, Malachi 3:3, John 16:33).  The blessings of God do not always translate into worldly or physical blessings.  Rather, the reward often comes later, after this life is over when I will enter into the presence of God by faith in Jesus (Matthew 5:12, Hebrews 10:35).  If I'm looking for the good life now, I may be disappointed.  If I'm hoping for all that He promises me in eternity,however, I will not be let down.

As I live my life, I'll learn to cope with hardship when I realize the struggles are not necessarily a result of my failures, but often a part of living a life in relationship with Jesus.

Blind.  After I go through a hard thing like a crisis or difficulty that brings pain and suffering, I often feel a bit gun shy, wondering what this present day will bring.  As I consider the hardship I just went through, I think it would be nice to know what's coming down the pike so I could brace myself.  In reality, though, such knowledge would be too much for me to bear.

Thankfully, God knows it is better for His image-bearers to live life blind to the future.  In His wisdom, He only reveals what I need to know at the time that is necessary so as not to overwhelm my frail being with unnecessary heartache.  Therefore, it is vital that I trust Him, realizing if He is wise enough to guard me from knowing too much about what is to come, He is also wise enough to know how to get me through tomorrow's untold sorrows. In fact, I can rest in the fact that He is already there.  His grace is all I need to withstand any heartache; upon this truth I can stake my life (2 Corinthians 12:9, Philippians 4:12-13).

As I live my life, I can rest in the knowledge that it's enough that God knows what is coming my way, and I can trust that He will get me through tomorrow's unknown.

I can make my plans but only God holds the blueprint for my life.  Therefore, I'd be wise to acknowledge that He is in control, there is no formula to living a stress-free life, and that living blind to the future is God's best for me.  While I'd love to have my life all mapped out so I know what to expect, I've found that God mixes it up.  What an adventure life with Jesus is!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God enough to let Him control my tomorrow.

When do I attempt to be the master of my own destiny?

How am I frustrated with my inability to control my days? 

  

Alpha and Omega

"'I am the Alpha and the Omega,'

says the Lord God,

'who is,

and who was, 

and who is to come,

the Almighty.'"

Revelation 1:8

I gotta hurry; I'm running out of time.  If these cars don't move out of my way I'll be late for my appointment!  As I sit at the light, aggravated and annoyed, my mind goes over a perpetual list of things to do.  The day is getting away from me and I don't know if I'll be able to get everything done!  Arrrgghh. . . . 

I have to admit that I am driven by time.  I wake up at a certain time, have a goal to finish writing by a specific time, set a time for discipleship appointments, dinner is planned for the time my husband gets home and I should be in bed by a certain time in order to get enough sleep.  Time threatens to be my god.

But the Lord my God transcends all things including time.  He is greater than my schedule and can never be early or late.  He is the Creator of time and thus is not bound by it.  In fact, time bows to His Sovereignty. 

Present

It's hard to live in the here and now.  Usually I am preparing for the future, fearing what may happen, or I'm grieving over the past, overwhelmed with shame and regret over what has already happened.

This is when I need to remember that God is.  He is here now with me and there is nowhere I can go where I will be apart from Him.  When I am standing at my highest point, feeling invincible and on top of the world, He is right beside me.  When I sink to the depths of despair, weighed down with the cares of this world, He is there. (Psalm 139:7-12)  

If I can remember that my God is not a far away God who cares not for my circumstances, troubles or hurts, then I can take comfort in His constant, loving presence.  (2 Corinthians 1:3)

He is my Father who is never too busy to listen to my fears, strengthen my weak knees, and give me a word of encouragement.

The Lord my God is always with me so I can walk in peace with Him.

Past

Many of us define ourselves by our past.  I'm a drug addict.  I'm promiscuous.  I'm a failure.  I'm divorced.  I'm an abuser.  I'm a victim.  When I describe myself based on my past, I am forgetting that my God was.  He was there.  He is the God of the past.

The Lord my God is the healer of my hurts, the mender of my broken heart and the forgiver of my sins.  He is the lover of my soul.  As His child through faith in Jesus Christ, He sees not my transgressions. (Isaiah 1:18)  In fact, the blood of Jesus has so purified me from my sins that I can stand blameless before Him.  (Jude 24)  Who I was in the past as been far removed from my new identity in Christ.  (Psalm 103:12)

Consequently, I can move forward as the new creation Christ has made it possible for me to be.  I can step into this new identity as a forgiven, cherished, daughter of a loving Father.  (2 Corinthians 5:17)  I can let go of the old me, who I used to be before I knew Christ and accepted this gift of reconciliation with God.  I can stop identifying with my sinful past and start embracing my redeemed present.

The Lord my God has freed me from my past so I can walk with Him in liberty.

Future

I sat in the seat getting ready to experience a ride at an amusement park, wondering what I had gotten myself into.  I'm not a big fan of going upside down and drop-offs terrify me, but I wanted to challenge myself to push past my physical fears by going onto this roller coaster-type ride.  The trouble was, I didn't know what was about to come.  I could see the riders before me blast off and shoot through the doorway into the darkness, but I had no idea what came after that.  My near future was uncertain.

This is similar to life where I have no idea what the next moment may hold.  I may convince myself that I am in control of my life, but the reality is that it is filled with the unexpected.  Just as that roller coaster took me upside down straight out of the chute, my greatest fear could be right around the corner.

Thankfully, my God is to come.  He is the God of tomorrow and as Casting Crowns sings in Already There,  "To You my future is a memory 'cause You're already there."  He's sees all things as if they exist together.  Time does not constrain God like it does me; He can move freely through my future, presence and past.  To Him, tomorrow is already here and He knows how it will all turn out.  And more importantly, He is waiting there for me.

Therefore, I need not fear.  If the God who has the power to create, forgive, love, repair, and guide,is already where I am headed, what is there for me to fear?  As He told His chosen people when they were scattered in exile, He's the One who was there at the beginning, and is present at the end so there is no need to fear what is to come.  As He has always protected, provided and preserved, so He will continue to do so.  (Isaiah 41:4, 10)

The Lord my God is already in my future so I can walk boldly ahead with confidence.

The Lord is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end who is and was and is to come.  Obviously, He is a mighty God.  To me as His child, this means He is with me in the here and now, giving me peace as I walk beside Him.  It also means He has domain over my past, giving me the freedom to walk forward with Him.  Finally, it means He is waiting for me in the dark unknown so I can walk boldly into my future, knowing He is already there.  Yes, my God transcends all time so I can rise above it as well.  Time is not my god: The Maker of heaven and earth is my God!  

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God with my past, presence and future.

When do I dwell in the past, or fear the future?

How am I letting my past define me?