'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
At the time, it was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Israel, but God said it for all to hear. He has a plan for each one of us whom He calls His chosen, His people, His children. It's a good plan! He is not a Father who makes any plan that will hurt us is any way. In fact, He says it is a plan that will prosper us, give us hope, give us a future of goodness and plenty.
So how come not everyone is blessed with this wonderful plan the Lord has made for us? How come there are illnesses? How come there are financial woes? How come there is death? How come all the bad stuff happens when He said the plan will not harm us?
We got in the way of that plan seems to be what happened. We stopped listening to God. We stopped learning about Him. We stopped putting Him first and instead went about our own merry way thinking that just because we loved Him and believed in Him that everything would be sunshine and roses. We messed up the plan by not waiting for His answers or seeking Him when an important decision came up. We told Him, "I've got this. I will do it my way!" And the plan God had for us was set aside by our own selfish will.
The good news is that He never gives up. He never stops loving us and He never tells us to go away even though we told Him to go away. He is a faithful Father who will never give up on His child much like we as parents never give up on our own child no matter how far they slide off the path.
God also told Jeremiah,
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations. - Jeremiah 1:5
So, it is for each one of us. Maybe not the "prophet to the nations" part but the rest of it, yes! He knew us before we were even formed in our mother's womb! He set us apart from others because He had a plan for each one of us. He called us His child before our parents had any idea we were even coming into this world. Think how amazing that plan is, and it is still unfolding!
I often wonder how much easier my life would have been if I had stopped, prayed, and listened to God before making some of the most important decisions in my life. I tend to think the plans God had for my life would have unfolded very differently and there would have been far less turmoil and harmful episodes.
