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?  

   

Let Him Choose

"For everyone who asks receives;

he who seeks fins;

and to him who knocks,

the door will be opened.

Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish,

will give him a snake instead?

Or if he asks for an egg, 

will give him a scorpion?

If you then, though you are evil,

know how to give good gifts to your children,

how much more will your Father in heaven

give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

Luke 11:10-13

I didn't want to move. Period.  I had finally settled into contentment in the on-post housing at Ft Lewis, Washington.  After many adjustments of my attitude and lessons in learning to accept, I felt at ease where God had placed us.  That is, until He decided to up and move us again!

Our new destination was South Carolina; back to the heat and ways peculiar to that region of the country.  I wasn't sure if I was up to the challenge, but my husband and I decided to take a weekend trip to try to find a house.  Instead of living in government housing, we were ready to purchase our own home.  

After spending a day looking at all the houses our Realtor had lined up for us to see, we couldn't decide.  I should rephrase that; I couldn't decide.  My husband knew exactly where God wanted us: in a brand new development on the north side of town.  I hated that house.  The lots were small, there seemed to be very little privacy and worst of all was the fact that there were no trees!  Sure, each finished lot boasted their own baby tree proudly standing at attention in the front yard, but how long would that take to grow to maturity?

I love trees, especially in the South where the sun and heat can be unrelenting in the summer time.  Without trees, our lot looked like a barren moonscape and I could not bear to live there!

Well, I did finally submit to God's choice for our home, and I couldn't be more pleased.  The expanse of the entire backside of our pie-shaped lot is covered in trees and large bushes. Birds flit around in the park-like landscaping, making our yard feel like a sanctuary.  Not only are the surrounding to my liking, but God is using our entire family in ministry throughout our neighborhood where many are hurting and in need of the Savior.  God certainly knew what He was doing when He chose that location for us.

It's hard to let someone else choose for me.  I worry that they might pick something crazy or unpleasant.  When it comes to God, however, there is no need to fear.  If I let Him, He'll give me something better than I could have chosen for myself.  As I wait in peace for Him to work, I can ponder the many reasons why I can trust Him. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Good God

I had good intentions when I vowed to give the best Christmas presents ever that fateful year.  As the time ticked away with the day approaching ever more quickly, I struggled with paying the bills and squirreling away some money for gifts.  In addition to suffering a lack of funds, I also experienced a deficit of another kind: ideas.  I'm not good at giving gifts in the first place, so now that the pressure was on, it seemed even worse than normal.

When Christmas day finally rolled around, the results were less than spectacular.  I did not overwhelm anyone with my generosity as they graciously and dutifully thanked me for their presents.  I meant to give in a way that really reflected how I felt about my family and friends, but it ended up looking more like a token gift given out of necessity.

This never happens to God.  He is generous, compassionate and able to fulfill all He sets out to do. (Matthew 20:1-16) His gifts are always good because He is a good God.  (James 1:17)  He doesn't change His mind, lose His motivation or come up short on resources.  He is willing and able to give good things to those who ask.  In fact, I would even go so far as to say God is unable to give a bad gift.  Whatever He bestows upon me is good, even if it doesn't seem so at the time.  

Since God is a good God, I can trust that His gifts will be good gifts.

Master Planner

One thing I enjoy doing around the holiday time is putting together jigsaw puzzles.  I find it difficult, however, to work on a puzzle when I can't see the finished picture that is usually printed on the box.  It is helpful for me to see the final product in order to be able to put the other pieces in their proper places.

Just like that jigsaw puzzle, there is a master plan for my life.  David said,  "All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be."  (Psalm 139:16) But my activities are not just pre-known, but pre-planned. (Ephesians 2:10)  The only variable is whether or not I'll decide to follow the design for my life, even if only God can see the final product.

In order for me to follow the good plan for my life, I must know the One who created those plans.    God is the one who holds the blueprints so that I will seek Him, and I am told that when I look for Him with all of my heart, I will find Him.  He's not inaccessible or unreachable like a celebrity or a busy therapist.  I don't need to go through an agent or make an appointment to reach God.  All I need to do is desire Him more than anything.  When my heart yearns for Him, He'll make Himself known in ways only He can.

I'll experience a peace that doesn't make sense as I follow His plan for my life.  My days will begin to take on great meaning and purpose as I discover the path He has for me.  Situations that used to cause confusion and struggle now seem simple and straightforward.  He is holding me, directing me and guiding me.

Since God is the one with the plan, only He knows what fits into that plan.  The condition of my relationship with Him is critical to my success in walking the path He has laid out for me.

Since God is the Master Planner, I can trust Him to lead me down the path of righteousness.

All Knowing

"I'm an open book to you;

even from a distance, you know what I'm thinking.

You know when I leave and when I get back;

I'm never out of your sight.

You know everything I'm going to say

before I start the first sentence. . .

You know me inside and out,

you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared

before I'd even lived one day."

Psalm 139:2-4, 15-16 MSG

God knows me better than I know myself.  As much as I know my children, He is more familiar with my daughters than I am.  Even though I think I can predict my husband's ways, God is much better acquainted with him than I am.  God is omniscient.

Unlike the ordinary man who was pretending to be a great and powerful deity in The Wizard of Oz, God truly is all-knowing, all-powerful and ever-loving.  He always keeps His promises and never lets His sheep down.   All at once He can know me intimately yet love me fully.

When Dorothy killed the Wicked Witch of the West, just as the Wizard requested, this fake claimed to need some time to think about it before he made good on his promise to send her back home.  Obviously, the guy was trying to by himself some time, never thinking that Dorothy would be able to do as he bid.

God, however, never plays games with me.  He knows what is best for me and places situations and challenges in my life that will grow me closer to Him and serve to purify me, making me more Christ-like.  Nothing is wasted, and He never needs to buy more time to figure out what to do.  

Since God is all-knowing, I can trust Him to choose what's best for me.

Even though I have a hard time being out of control, I can trust God to be in control of every detail of my life.  I can trust Him because He is the Giver of good things, the One who holds the blueprints for my life, and the Omniscient God who loves me.  These are more than enough reasons to trust Him to be the Manager of my life.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can trust God in every way.

How do I pay more attention to my plans than in seeking out God and His plan?

When am I afraid that God would not love me if He knew the real me?