'Give you a future filled with hope'

I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. When you call me and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me.

-Jeremiah 29:11-13

Hope ever seem hopeless?

Personally, I'm a big fan of hope. But still, sometimes hope seems distant. Once, when people were in exile and hope seemed distant, this reminder came: "... they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope."

These verses stay with me for lots of reasons. I've run across it off and on in my life, which is not a big surprise. It's often-quoted. A couple of years ago, I had a small health scare (odd spot on a lung) that turned out to be nothing of note. A friend quoted one of these verses in response.

There are lots of thoughts these verses generate, but today, remember hope.

'I will hope in him'

... his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction. Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day. My soul claims the Lord as my inheritance; therefore

-Lamentations 3:22-24

Lamentations is not a great marketing book name, is it? It's attributed to the prophet Jeremiah after the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem.

But in these verses, Jeremiah reminds us that as bad as things can get, God is with us. He knows us. He loves us. He will not leave us.

In the days and years after my stroke, I've leaned on God for hope. And it's available to all of us.

'Nothing is too hard for you!'

Lord God, you created heaven and earth by your great power and outstretched arm; nothing is too hard for you!

-Jeremiah 32:17

Life is difficult! I'm guessing we all know that.

Between health concerns, work, duties at home and more, we're often challenged on a daily basis. Jeremiah, too, was challenged - he was on a mission for God, which didn't set well with many of those in charge in his day.

But Jeremiah's words still echo today, for which I'm grateful. He reminds us that yes, life is hard, but for God, nothing is hard. When my own strength wanes, God's never does.

'It has no worries in a year of drought'

“But blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
They will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream.
It does not fear when heat comes;
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit.”

-Jeremiah 17:7-8

Ever lived through a long drought? People in parts of the world can become desperate in the lack of water.

We live through other droughts as well. Desperate in the lack of hope. Of confidence. Of relief. You name it - everyone has experienced most of those times.


Today, though, consider the words of Jeremiah. Place your trust in God. You will become like that tree - strong in confidence and ready to face the heat and drought as you confront life.


(Image from Idea go / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

'...Plans to give you hope and a future.'

"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

These words were delivered to exiles in Babylon. Words of hope and promise for the future.

Plans are important. But people often don't like making plans. They often require dull and tedious work. They can be thwarted by outside influence. Even the  best plans can go awry. They are, after all, a product of people. Those imperfect people.

God loves those imperfect people so much, though, that he has plans for those people. The plans were promised those many years ago to those in exile. Does God have plans for you? I'm convinced that he does. He loves you like he loved his exiles.

God has plans to give you hope and a future, too.

'Nothing is too hard for you'

Ah, Sovereign LORD, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm. Nothing is too hard for you.

 -Jeremiah 32:17

Comforting words from Jeremiah for those who are struggling. Have faith. Look at all what God has done. You are important to him - and nothing is too hard for him to accomplish.

Yes, it might or might not take the form you expect. But he is there beside you. With his outstretched arm.

Clues to a living treasure

Can you be a clue?

In the movie “National Treasure,” the character played by Nicholas Cage had spent his adult life seeking a fabulous, secret treasure. Early on, he discovers an important clue about the location of the treasure, hidden in a beautiful carved pipe hidden in the hold of a long-lost ship. Most of the rest of the movie revolves around his constant search to follow one clue, which leads to another clue to another clue – until finally the treasure is revealed. And no other order of events would have worked.

If he skipped any step, the treasure would never have been found. If he went out of order, somehow stumbling across certain clues before the proper time, he would have been hopelessly lost. Instead, step by step, in the proper order, in the proper time, the key was found, the treasure was won.

Consider people like prophet Jeremiah and Apostle Paul. Each stood at their points of time and became living clues to a living treasure. Those clues were and are ready to be followed by any eager seeker of this treasure. And the treasure was – and can be again and again – won.

Like Jeremiah, like Paul – to whatever degree – can the rest of us serve as clues to that treasure? There are plenty of people who are lost, desperately seeking that one piece of information, that one remark, that one example of behavior. Am I necessarily the clue that unlocks the treasure? Maybe. Or maybe I’m the clue that sends the person to you, and you keep the sequence going. Next time, maybe it’s reversed, because best of all, unlike the movie, we’re not the clues for just one person, but potentially for anyone we encounter any place.

This blog is designed as a series of clues to that living treasure, especially for those whose lives have been impacted by stroke. So the next time someone asks about your faith, or simply is in need of an act of kindness or friendliness – can you be a clue?