February 15, 2024
DAY 9
Key Verse:
“‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
Jeremiah 29:11 NASB
Sometimes, nothing can be more frustrating than plans that do not go as they should. After months and weeks of planning, everything seems to be going as planned and something happens to throw your plan off track. Frustrating as it may be, it is better to be flexible and to continue to trust in the Lord and His timing.
In the book of Jeremiah, we find a verse that is often quoted when talking about plans and overall planning. The prophet Jeremiah sends a letter to those who were carried away as captives from Jerusalem to Babylon. Amid all the destruction and the apparent abandonment of God, the word of the Lord comes to them in a letter to remind them that all will be well if they simply follow His plan. The Lord reminds them that He is the one who caused them to be led away as captives, but He also instructs them how to live in the land of captivity. Their abandonment of the Lord and the following of idols led them to this place, but God had a plan for their restoration.
After 70 years, God promised to bring them back to their homeland. God’s plan was to help them trust in Him for their every need and know that His plans would bring them prosperity and not disaster. He also promised them a future full of hope and not despair. The result would be that they would be fully committed to the Lord when they followed Him with all their hearts. When they did that, God promised to listen when they called upon Him.
Heart Prompts
Do you seek the Lord as you make your plans?
How do you react when things do not go as planned?
Think back on all the plans that did not work out. Can you see how God protected you and led you to a better plan?
Pray
Dear Lord, as I think back at all the plans that did not go the way I thought they should, I can now see how you had a better plan for me. Help me, Lord, to seek you first as I plan and help me follow you wherever you lead. Thank you for your promise that you will never leave us or forsake us and that you can be found when we seek you with all our hearts. In Jesus’ name, Amen.