Tag: Jeremiah 29:13

Through Every Season, He Has A Plan

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.”

Most people have heard this Bible verse before but probably do not know the context of the passage.  This was part of a letter that Jeremiah, a prophet, wrote to the surviving people from Jerusalem that had been exiled to Babylon.  The letter was a message from God to His people (people just like you and me).  In a nutshell, God wanted His people to know that even though they were living through a difficult season, they should not stop living.  He encouraged them to build houses, plant gardens, get married and have children.  Carry on.  Keep living.  Even though their life was not perfect, He said to keep living it.  God even said they should pray for Babylon because if it prospers, they will prosper too.  God wants them to prosper because he is going to bring them back to Jerusalem one day.  Then He says it.  “For I know the plans I have for you.  Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” 

Did you hear that?  God has plans for you.  Through every season of your life, He has a plan.  When you feel abandoned, lost, helpless, or tired, like the people of Israel did, He has a plan.  When you face struggles, fears, sorrows or disgrace, He has a plan.  You may not be able to see the plan but it is there.  And the plan is good because God is good.

So how do you get through the hard times?  How do you survive the difficult season? The key is to lean into God during those times.  Jeremiah 29:13 (two verses later) says that “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all you heart.”  So when you find yourself in that season and things are weighing you down, keep on going, lean into God, seek Him through His word and keep on living.  Build a house, plant a garden, get married and have children.  And when you come out on the other side, the plan will be clear.

Lord, thank you for being with me through the good times and the bad.  Thank you for loving me enough to have a plan.  I have faith in you and I know that no matter what, you will bring me through this season of my life.  I love you.  Amen.

What a Wonderful Promise

Jeremiah 29:13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Do you ever find yourself going down a rabbit hole on the internet when you are trying to figure something out? I do this all the time when I am reading the Bible. I think, “I wonder what that means” and away I go digging and searching Google for the meaning. Sometimes the meaning I discover will just give context to what was is happening in the world at that time and sometimes it helps me understand the passage better.

For example, I was reading in Matthew 9 about Jesus going to Matthew’s house to eat dinner. It said, “as Jesus reclined at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.” Okay, stop. Why would they be reclining? You don’t recline to eat. You sit upright. Otherwise, you would make a mess with your food and probably get indigestion.

So away I go, searching the internet to see if I can figure out why the Bible specifically mentions that they were reclining. After a little bit of research, I found out that when the Romans defeated the Greeks in 146 BC, they adopted the Greek style of reclining dining. So, Jesus and his disciples, living in the day of the Roman Empire, ate this way too, in a reclining position rather than sitting down. Interesting. I had no idea.

This shed a new light on the Last Supper too. In Matthew 26:20 it says, “When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve.” If they were reclining, then the famous painting of The Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci is a little off. The Last Supper would have probably looked more like the first picture than the second.

      The Last Supper—Leonardo da Vinci’s c.1490’s

I never know what I’m going to find when I start researching things in the Bible, so it is exciting to me. In the end I always grow from the experience. I gain a better understanding of the Bible and of the world they were living in. It helps me visualize the scene and retain the meaning of the passage better.

So, what about you? When you read the Bible and don’t understand something, do you take time to do a little research? Do you dig a little deeper? Do you spend time looking for God wholeheartedly? In Jeremiah 29:13 it promises that “If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”  What a wonderful promise that is. The extra time you take to look for him will not be wasted. He promises that You. Will. Find. Him. I encourage you to spend time in the word today.

Heavenly Father, I know that your word always produces fruit. Guide me to use my time wisely and to search for you wholeheartedly. Open my mind, heart and soul to what you are telling me. Amen.

I am Enough

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Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

A few weeks ago at the Women’s Night at my church we heard a message about using our voice and giving our testimony. Last week I shared a testimony with you that casted me in a very favorable light. This week, I’m going to share a testimony with you that is different. I don’t know who needs to hear this, but here it goes.

I am divorced. I’m not proud of it. I’m not ashamed of it. It is just a fact. I’m not going to get into the details of my divorce except to say that it left me very separated from God, my family and friends. I tried so hard to hide what was happening in my marriage that I had to keep everyone at arms length.

After my divorce I was raising a 1 year old, a 3 year old and a 4 year old child. I was in an important position at my job too so I had a lot of pressure and responsibility. My entire life consisted of work and my boys. I was tired, lonely and a little depressed. I really didn’t have any friends back then. I had kept everyone so far away that I had isolated myself. My family was wonderful and very supportive but I still felt very alone.

After a few years I slowly started meeting people in my neighborhood and I learned to let other people help me so I could have a little free time to myself. But then I started craving more. I wanted more friends. I wanted more attention. I wanted to find a mate and it became my focus. I started going to clubs and online dating. I was determined to find a man to be a part of my life.

I put that desire in front of God, in front of my kids and in front of my career. I was reckless. I was having fun but it was an empty fun that left me still searching to fill that hole in my heart. I was going to church at that time but what happened at church stayed at church. I wasn’t acting like a Christian when I left the building.

A friend invited me to go with her to a different church one Sunday. We got there late and we had 5 kids with us so we ended up sitting in the overflow room. My friend was not impressed. But all I could think about was, “how can I get into the main room?”

I loved the singing and the worship and I wanted to be in the middle of it. So I returned the next Sunday and we sat in the main room. Wow! I was so overwhelmed with the presence of the Holy Spirit. I was hooked.

I kept returning, not just because of the music but because I was being fed. I was engaged with the message each time I went and I started leaning in to God. I wanted to be there and I wanted to learn more. Then one Sunday something happened. I was convicted by what the pastor said and inside I changed. I wanted to look on the outside how I felt on the inside. I wanted others to see the difference in me. I wanted there to be no doubt in anyone’s mind that I loved Jesus. When other people looked at me, I wanted them to see a little bit of Jesus.

So I started to change my behavior. It didn’t happen over night. It happened over a few years. But it happened. I changed my priorities. I changed where my focus was. I changed how I dressed. I changed the music I was listening too. I began to seek Him and I found Him. That is a promise from God. Jeremiah 29:13 says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

So did that desire to find a mate just go away? No. Not at first. But I prayed about it. I asked Jesus to help me through it and He did. During worship at church one Sunday I kept hearing in my heart “let me be enough”. So I opened my heart and let Him in and I said YES! Jesus is enough for me.

Today I have JOY. Not happiness, because happiness comes and goes. I have a joy in knowing that Jesus is my Lord and savior. This year when I was looking for a Christmas present for myself, (come on moms, I know you do it too) because no way my 3 teenage boys were going to know what I wanted, a ring came up on the screen. The ring says, “I Am Enough”. Now some people might think that means that I, Debra, am enough. But that is not what it makes me think about. It reminds me of when I let Jesus into my heart and allowed him to be enough for me. I wear it often and with pride.

Jesus, thank you for being so patient with me while I found my way back to you. Thank you for walking by my side and being ready for me when I finally surrendered to you. Amen.

How does God speak to you?

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Have you ever heard someone say that they were talking to God and he gave them a word? What does that even mean? Did they hear an audible voice that said something like, “Hey Debra, I have a word for you today?” No, of course not. It would be nice if God lit a bush on fire like he did with Moses or spoke directly to you in a dream like he did with Joseph, but that is not usually how it works. 

It’s a good desire to want to hear God’s voice. But many times, we make it out to be a lot more mysterious and harder than it should be, because we look to the wrong places for God’s voice. It is actually very simple. The Bible is where God’s voice can be heard. So, if you want to listen to God’s voice, then you need to read God’s word.

I suggest that you set aside 30 minutes in the morning or evening and call it your quiet time. Protect this time. Add it to your calendar. Create a special space for your quiet time and let everyone in your household know that you have set aside this particular time of the day to seek the Lord. Then start off with a short devotional, a Bible reading and then prayer journaling. God’s Word will pop up to address your prayer concerns. Sometimes immediately, sometimes over time. But it’s those breakthrough moments that are the incredible miracles that cement our faith and cause us to crave more time with Him.  I read a quote online that said, “I was praying, talking to God and then I opened my Bible and God won’t stop talking to me!”

Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me the Bible so that I can hear your voice.  Please help me to set up a quiet time so that I can hear from you every day.  Amen