derekmaul

the kind of God-promise we can grab onto

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says theLord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. – Jeremiah 29:11

powerful prayer...
power of prayer – at WFPC

This verse from Jeremiah is one of those “eminently quotable” scriptures. It frequently pops up in blogs, articles, and devotionals. And why not? It’s the kind of God-promise we can grab onto, and that speaks to the heart of what faith means for so many people.

However, and this always seems to be true with these “spotlight” quotes from the Bible, the balance of the passage where the verse resides adds dimension and depth that it would be a shame to miss. So let’s not.

Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile. Jeremiah 29:12-14

What reaches deep inside me about this passage today is the dynamic relationship between God’s assurance and our response; the “then,” the “when,” and the “if,” followed by the subsequent series of God’s “I will’s.”

What reaches deep inside me is my responsibility in this equation. When I know, trust, and have faith that surely God knows the plans he has for me, plans for my welfare and not for harm, to give me a future and a hope… then I will faithfully do the following:

  • Call on God
  • Pray to God
  • Search for God
  • Seek God with all my heart

And then, Jeremiah writes, it’s not that we “find” God by our own efforts, but that God “will let us find” him.

And finally, and this speaks so profoundly to the place so many people live, God will bring us back from the place of exile.

in Raleigh on the 18th

So here’s my question: Do you want to be brought back from your place of exile? My responsibility – and your responsibility – is to call, to pray, to search, and to seek – with all of your heart.

Peace – in the only way true peace can come – DEREK

4 comments

  1. One of the great “Promises of God” that is so powerful to me. It’s a great faith building foundation for any new christian looking for answers to difficult questions.
    Thanks Derek!

    Reply

Leave a Reply to derekmaulCancel reply