“For I know the thoughts I have toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11
The Future is God’s, Part 2
In Thursday’s devotional, I told the story of my husband running for public office and being defeated, and the unexpectedly unkind way we were treated in the aftermath. I ended with the understanding that although we were shaken up by these events, God was not.
Here is what I learned from this experience of defeat and loss. God is bigger than my circumstances. And He always has a greater plan. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.
This was a time of testing. Yes, my faith was shaken, but because of wrestling with God over these issues my faith became stronger and deeper. God met me at every shaken fist, every heartbroken tear, and every angry demand for an explanation. He was not intimidated by my emotional fury. And at the end, I was assured of a God strong enough for my every need, my every dream and desire, my every hope. Jeremiah 29:11 became my daily bread.
All that is to say this: trust Him. Trust Him when you don’t understand. Trust Him in the midst of your loss. Trust Him when nothing makes sense. Put your faith, your future, and your fortune in the hands of the faithful God who has called you to something more than your present trial or doubt.
God called us out of that place into an adventurous and exciting experiment in faith. He called us out, that He might call us in. This was our call to trust Him. This was our call to depend upon Him. This was our call to ministry. He turned our loss to gain. How all that came about is too involved to share here, but it assuredly did come about. Today we are astounded at all the things God has done in our lives, all the blessings and gifts we never imagined. It has been and continues to be a wonderful journey.
I stand amazed. He always intended to give us a future and a hope.
Faithful Father, You are strength in my weaknesses. You are a refuge for my troubled soul. You anchor my sanity and soothe my frayed emotions. Your wisdom speaks in the midst of my confusion. Your Spirit and Your Word counsel me. I will hold fast to You. Amen.
It’s always been in the worst of times that I am able to seek with all my heart and feel the presence of the Lord. I am learning to ask God to put that hunger and tenacity within ALL the time and not just in the bad times!
I needed to be reminded that God has called us to more than our current pressing trial. It’s so easy to forget that when you’re in the midst of it. Thank you.