Planned.

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of those verses that Christians quote not infrequently, to themselves and to people around them. It’s one of our go-to scriptures, because it’s a promise from God. But today I want to delve just a little bit into what it really means and what we can believe in for ourselves, from the promise of our Lord.

Let’s start by reading the whole verse:

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.

I’d like to begin now by reminding you that though the Bible is a huge book, though there seems to be a lot in it that has to be learned and understood in order to really get what Christianity is and what faith in God is, the faith is really very simple, and the message within the Bible is equally simple. When the Bible says something, it is true. No matter what. So when we look at this verse, we can know without doubt that what it says is true.

To break it down further…

1. I know the plans I have for you

Because we know that the Bible is true and that whatever it says must also be truth, in that it is the Word of God and God cannot lie, we know this means God has plans for each and every one of us. Whether you believe in Him or not right now, He has plans for you. His will is for you to carry out those plans with your life.

2. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you

To me, this section is another reminder that God doesn’t want us to suffer in any way. That means He would never wish for us to be ill. So to those of you who say that God made you sick to teach you a lesson, please stop lying to yourself. There is nowhere in the Bible that God made anyone ill for any reason (nope, not even Job — God didn't do that). He never caused any of His people to suffer. They did that themselves. Follow Him, follow the plans He has for you, and there will be prospering—not suffering.

3. Plans to give you hope and a future

The only hope there is, comes from God. That hope lies in Jesus Christ. God gave us hope. Without Christ, there would be no hope for us whatsoever. And without hope, we can have no future.

So because we know that God is truth, that what He says must also be truth, we can say this:

God has made plans for each and every one of us. We are His children, and like any good father, He makes plans for us. Those plans do not involve bringing us to any form of harm. Instead, like any good father, God’s plans for us are for prosperity. He has given us hope in Jesus Christ, and therefore a bright future as well, one where we are free from torment and shame.

Praise the Lord for that.

[love]

{Rani D.}