"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." Jer 29:11 (NIV)
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This verse is Biblical confirmation that God has a plan for us and that it is for our good. Our omniscient God has formulated a future that involves all of His children, and each one of us is a part of a "bigger picture".
As a society, we love to snatch verses from the Bible and apply them as snappy little phrases to lift our spirits when we are low. However, when we do this, we sometimes fail to learn the bigger, more important lesson. Jeremiah delivered this message from God to the people of Judah while they were in captivity. God delivered them eventually, but it was in His own time and certainly not before many many years of trials and sufferings. The full story of this verse is as follows:
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- When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. 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. 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 seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the Lord, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."-Jeremiah 29:10-14
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I so love that our God has a plan for me and my family. I know that His love for me reaches beyond my lifespan into the future and the past. I know that He has already won the battle!! Praise GOD!
