Hope in God's Good Plan

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

We live in a world where we see so many terrible things, tragedies and trials. Sometimes the floor can drop out right underneath us. When my first wife passed away, I essentially thought that life was over. I started thinking that God didn’t like me. When I found Jeremiah 29:11, that verse changed everything. I found that He does have a good plan. Even though this terrible thing had happened, He still had a plan for my life. My life wasn’t over like I thought it was. He had a plan for my life, and it was actually better than I ever thought it could be. God has an expectation for me that I’m going to fulfill this good plan that He has for me.

The moment we change our thinking and start connecting with God, we start connecting with His plans, which always exceed our small plans.

Sometimes bad things can condition our minds to think that God is not on our side, but this verse reminds us that God does care. There’s hope. In my life, I’ve experienced some pretty difficult things. When trials hit, our minds always wants to ask, “Where is God? Why isn’t He stopping this?” Sometimes we think, “Does He not like me? Is He against me?” And then we open the Bible to Jeremiah 29:11, and it totally tells the truth.

The truth is that God has good things for us. He has a plan.

Even before we stepped on this earth, He had a plan for our lives. I find that very comforting.

Excerpted from Once-a-Day Country Faith: 56 Reflections From Today’s Leading Country Music Stars by Deborah Evans Price, copyright Zondervan 2013.

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Your Turn

Sometimes tough situations in our life distract us from focusing on the greatness of our God. He is always for us! He is able to turn what is meant to cause sadness and discouragement into something good. Come join the conversation on our blog! We would love to hear from you! ~ Devotionals Daily