A Thought

“’I know the thoughts I think toward you,’ says the Lord, ‘thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.’”  Jeremiah 29:11-13

In the context Jeremiah is writing to the people of Israel and making it known to them that their time of captivity in Babylon will come to an end, and they will be returned to their homeland.  It is also important to remember that the overall context is about the Lord’s Covenant, not the individual persons.  Their future is intrinsically connected with His divine purpose, so His promise is within that Covenant.  That is, the people of Israel must hold up their end in order to be part of the everlasting Covenant; they must make a choice.  Only those who “search with ALL their heart” will find Him; then they will find their place within His eternal Covenant.

This is a very important part of understanding what the Lord promises and why.  We must not remove ourselves from our part in the Covenant of Christ by coming to believe we get all the benefits but offer Him nothing in return.  We must be “seekers” and “searchers” … and not incidentally, but purposefully and intentionally; because His certain Promise is not incidental but is purposeful and intentional.

Enjoy the blessing of our Lord today.  Our futures in this crazy world with its economic uncertainties do not depend on humans; they depend on our response to His divine call.

Blessings,

Michael