“GOD has Plans for You!” (Grace Note #94)

 

“GOD has Plans for You!”

Grace Note #94

By Gary L. Clendenon, January 21, 2021

(All Bible verses quoted from The Message Bible)

In Jeremiah 29:11, we find one of the most beloved and quoted promises of GOD Almighty:

“I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”

This promise is the centerpiece in a table set out for a feast. Here’s what surrounds this centerpiece in verses 10-14:

“...I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I am doing. … When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed. … I’ll turn things around for you. … You can count on it.”

These are still some quality promises, but what makes this feast of words even more tasty is knowing and understanding the context of the rest of the chapter these words come from.

Jeremiah chapter 29 is a letter from GOD to the exiled Jews who were taken to Babylon. Jeremiah transcribed this letter from GOD and sent it to the Jews in Babylon. To these people away from their homeland, these words were an much need affirmation that GOD had not forgotten them in that foreign land and that GOD had some very specific plans for them to count on.

In verse 10, GOD says, “As soon as Babylon’s 70 years are up and not a day before … I’ll bring you back home.” This wasn’t a new idea, but a reminder of the plans GOD had stated through Jeremiah before the Jews were conquered by the Babylonians (See Jeremiah 25:11-12). Sure enough, true to GOD’s word, 70 years later Cyrus, the new King of Persia released the Jews to return to Jerusalem (See Ezra 1:1-4).

Whatever you are going through right now, take heart. The “GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies” has got your back. He has a plan—specific plans—for the whole world, for your country, and most exciting of all, for you. You may not see those plans right now, but don’t worry, as we’ve seen, GOD’s timing is always perfect and “He makes all things beautiful in His time.” (1) You can trust GOD. You can trust GOD’s plans for you.

That is the cherry on top of the dessert that is the highlight of the feast of Jeremiah chapter 29.

1. Ecclesiastes 3:11