The reason people ask that question is because, by now, we have all failed. Sometimes life seems like that NCAA bracket, with our mistakes giving us a common denominator. What did the famous Scottish poet Burns say, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray."
The situation of the Israelites as described in Jeremiah 29 and 30 was worse than anyone could imagine. The leaders were killed or taken captive. Dead bodies were everywhere with no one to even bury them. The temple was burned and completely destroyed. And those who were still alive were treated like cattle and transported to be slaves in Babylon. In the midst of this failure is where God spoke the phrase we like to remind our young people, "God has good plans for you, to give you a future and a hope."
Furthermore, Jeremiah encourages the people to build houses, plant crops, and give sons and daughters in marriage. In short, don't quit. Continue doing the things, the responsibilities, that God has given you. God is never done with bringing us into His inheritance, but sometimes there are other internal changes that have greater priority in order to be capable of handling the good He has planned for us. Adversity is a great motivator to seek God. There is a saying from WWI, that every man has a God in a foxhole. And that is exactly what Jeremiah reminds the people that God is calling, "When you seek Me with all your heart I will be found." Use the current need and situation to lead you into a greater dependence on God's promises and His faithfulness. God is in the business of restoring what the enemy has stolen, and turning what was meant for evil into good. He who calls you is faithful, and He will do it. He clearly has a plan for our future and our hope. We will make it.
In Jeremiah 30, God promises some powerful encouragement. "Yet I will not make a complete end of you, but I will correct you in justice." No one enjoys being corrected, but God's ways are life and peace. Revival, or the abundance of His life and peace, always starts with people humbling themselves. God promises to dwell with the those who are humble and contrite in heart. The trials of today often cause us to "break up the fallow ground" and let the rain of God's mercy and righteousness soften our hearts. After humbling ourselves before God, He releases His intended purpose, " I will restore health to you and heal you of your wounds," says the Lord. (Jeremiah 30:17)
Jesus, His resurrection and the promise of ours, is our hope. We are destined to share His nature and glory forever. God has given us this awesome vision so that no matter what happens, we know that we will not perish. Not only will we not perish, but all things continue to work for our good, for us who are called according to His purpose. The verse "without a vision the people perish" may also be translated, "without a vision the people cast off restraint." (NKJV) The point is that unless we know the hope, the vision of "we will make it," we are tempted to give up and cast off the disciplines of living for the Lord.
Our bracket may fail, our situation may not always be as planned, there may be a need to seek God and repent, but our God never changes and His word to your heart today is "You will make it."
No comments:
Post a Comment