TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11 ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Most everyone I know thinks the whole coronavirus response is a disproportionate overreaction, especially when you look at the statistics next to the flu. But clearly (and I wrote about this yesterday), there are others who are fearful and worried. It’s serious and scary, I get it! And the headlines are making this impossible to ignore, though I’ve had some good laughs over some really creative memes!
However, I admit I’m starting to get nervous… not about contracting the virus. I’m a homebody germaphobe who frequently washes my hands anyway. But as a business owner, I am starting to get a little antsy about all these decisions to cancel events that stimulate and fund the economy. Our national economy is strong right now, but I certainly don’t want it to be weakened. Like others, I’m dependent on other businesses to do what I do. So, I was praying about it this morning.
As I tried to switch gears and think about what to write about, Jeremiah 29:11 came to mind. It says, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
I know many who say this verse is always taken out of context, and I get it… these words were written to the exiled Israelites who were living in Babylon. But I maintain that if God has good plans for His chosen people, it doesn’t matter whether we are Jewish or Gentile, He has good plans for us too. I believe we can look at these words/this promise as a promise of God’s consistency. After all, no matter what hardships God allowed the Israelites to face, He always had a good and purposeful plan for them. If we are believers, we have been grafted onto the family tree of Jesus (Romans 11:11-31) and we can trust in His good and purposeful plan for us. Even when we don’t know what’s next and panic is all around us.
We can know and trust that God still has a plan, He’s in control, and while He may give us a rollercoaster of a ride, His plan isn’t designed to harm us, but to give us a hope in Jesus and eternal future with Him.
Today, as you pray, thank God that even when the world feels out of control, He is not. Praise Him that we can depend on Him in all circumstances. Ask the Holy Spirit to prepare you for whatever plans God has for you and your life. Ask Him to help you trust God’s plan amid the chaos.
SHARING ••• Please share with others! Visit www.MyGraceFullLife.com to read past blogs. Download a free Bible-In-A-Year Reading Plan when you subscribe! Join an online prayer group at www.facebook.com/groups/onlineandonourkneesprayergroup. ***Unless noted otherwise, all Scripture references are from the ESV translation.
