Jeremiah 29:11 “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.”(NIV)
Last weekend, my eldest daughter got married to her
sweetheart. It was a beautiful wedding and I was very proud of the newly wedded
couple. I pray that they have a great future ahead of them and that God will
bless them in many ways.
Marriage is a leap of faith, as well as a loving
ceremony. The two people involved publicly promise to love, support, and
cherish one another for the rest of their lives. It’s a beautiful part of life,
but it’s also a unique covenant which can sometimes be hard to sustain and prolong.
Today’s verse from Jeremiah reminds us of the loving
covenant that God has maintained with His people throughout the centuries. The
words of reassurance were originally meant for the displaced Jews who had been
defeated by the Assyrians and taken into exile. God’s promise through Jeremiah
is a loving statement of His faithfulness toward His people. Whatever the
future would bring in exile, they still seek God’s reassurance, comfort, and
love. Things might be initially bleak,
but God’s constant faithfulness to them would one day bring His people back to
their precious homeland.
Today, you may be experiencing uncertainty or are perhaps
anxious about the future. You might think that you are isolated and alone,
vulnerable and weak. Please know this: God’s reassuring love and reaffirming
presence are with you, even now. Seek Him
and He may be found; look to Him for help, and He will give You His love.
Questions
for personal reflection
What are my hopes for the future? How can God help me
attain them?
Prayer: Gracious
God, we thank You for Your loving presence with us each day. We look to You for
guidance and we place our future into Your faithful hands. Be with us and bless
us, in Jesus’ Name, we pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to
comment or ask questions about today’s message, please send him an email to Traqair@aol.com.
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