Key scripture- “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.'” (Jeremiah 29:11).

Pastor Tony Evans ask us, Do you know why people lose their hope, because they don’t see a future. To them, yesterday was bleak… today is bleak… and tomorrow doesn’t look any better.

They think the weather report for the rest of their life says, “Absolutely no sunshine. One hundred percent chance of rain and thunderstorms.” They believe that there’s nothing out there that has their number on it, nothing good, nothing dealing with their purpose, calling or destiny. All that they see is it’s dark, and the sun is nowhere to be found. If you feel that way, you are not alone because that’s exactly what the people living in Jeremiah’s day were feeling when he wrote Jeremiah 29:11, “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’declares the Lord,’ plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.'”

We all love to quote Jeremiah 29:11 because it talks about God’s good plan for the Israelites. But did you know that this wonderful verse is found in a really bad chapter?

This is not a great verse in a great chapter. No, it’s a great verse in a not-so-great chapter. So if you are having a challenging life or a challenging season in your life, this verse will fit right in! Verse 11 was written for people who had been placed in exile in a foreign land, and to make it worse, the place where they were held captive, Babylon, was about as pagan as you can get. Babylon was not where the Christians hung out. This was a terrible place, a pagan pit of evil and idolatry, especially if you were an Israelite.
Yet in the midst of this hopelessness and discouragement, along comes verse 11. So if you’re looking for hope, if you’re tired of aimlessness, wandering and strongholds, this verse gives you the answer. Because God looks at us in our miserable state and says, “I still have a plan for you. It’s not over. I still have a divine purpose for your life.”

When God told the Israelites in Jeremiah 29 that He had a plan for them, He gave them hope. But hope doesn’t do much good in a vacuum, because it needs a nurturing environment. God didn’t give them permission to take that hope and then just sit back and do nothing. On the contrary, He told them exactly what He wanted them to do in the meantime while He was working out some of the details for their future.

We read in Verses 5-7 that He told them to, “Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.” (Jeremiah 29:5-7)

In other words, get busy in obedience to God. Seize the moment. God might not do everything in a single day, so build houses, and live in them. Plant gardens, and eat what you grow. Become as productive as you possibly can right where you are before He moves you into your destiny. Don’t sit and do nothing. Do all that’s at your hand to do—maximize your potential. A lot of us, while we wait for God, think we can sit back and do nothing when there is plenty to do and plenty that God wants us to do.

God also instructed the Israelites to seek the well-being of others, when He said, “Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.” This is exactly what you need to do as you believe the Lord for the good future He has in store for you. Find out how YOU can be a blessing to others. As you become a blessing, you set yourself up to be blessed. God says (in my words), “While you’re waiting on Me to do something for you, do something good for others.” That’s what Paul meant when he quoted Jesus, saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). By blessing others, you literally open up a channel for God to come through when He blesses you. That’s what God refers to a little later in Jeremiah 29 when He says:

“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, “and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’” (Jeremiah 29:12-14)

Unfortunately, most of us don’t read verse 13 as it’s written. Instead, we read it, “When you seek the solution, you’ll find the solution.” But that’s not what it says. It says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” That’s the ultimate answer for all of us. God says, “I have the plans. Don’t go looking for the plans; look for Me. I know where I put them. You find Me, you’ll find the plans. You want to know your calling? Find Me. I know it. You want to find your mate? Find Me first. I know where he or she is. You want to find your future, find Me and I will show it to you.” In Christ “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3).

God has a plan for you, and He knows what it is. He guarantees that it’s a good one, and He offers you a future and a hope. God is inviting you to participate with Him in the drama of the ages. If you don’t know which way to go, seek Him. If you are in pain, seek Him. If you are confused, seek Him. If you are tired of waiting, seek Him. Don’t ask other people what to do with your life, seek Him. God Himself is your answer. It is only in living a life of obedience to what He is telling you to do right now, right where you are, that you will discover the blessings He has in store for you in your future.

Pray this – Our Precious Heavenly Father, You are my answer. I have wasted a lot of time going to others to find the answer, when all I needed to do was seek You. I am seeking You now with all my heart as I meet with You every morning, and read and meditate on Your Word. I will do good for the people that are in my life right now and that You bring into my life. I will live the simple truth that we are to share our time, talent, and treasure generously with others especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. Give me the wisdom to be as productive as I can be in the place that You have me in right now. Give me the strength and wisdom to be patient and to wait on You and not run ahead. I seek to please You, and I know that You will give me wisdom and knowledge and joyfulness. (Ecclesiastes 2:26a). I know and I believe that the plans that You have for me are to prosper me and not to harm me to give me a future and a hope. In Jesus’ Name I pray, Amen.