Devotion 10/20, God of Hope

“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.”
Jeremiah 29:11

Our passage today is a letter to His people who were in exile, God is letting them know that He has not forsaken them, but they must be obedient to Him and have faith in Him alone to carry them through.
God is not a merciless God looking for ways to be mean to people, as the world sometimes considers Him. To the contrary He desires no harm to come to us at all, He is our Protector and Defender in life! He has great and wonderful plans for His children, plans for hope and a future that is bright and fulfilling.

God will allow us as His children to go through hard times. But we who have accepted Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior have the indwelling Holy Spirit to help us through the trials in life and bring us through the other side with our faith in Him still intact because our eyes are fixed on Christ. We can rest assured that He will always do the best for us and when we get out of the way, He will bring abundant blessings upon us.
The plans that God has for His people are perfect, even though it may not seem to us that they are. He cannot ever fail, we on the other hand fail daily. This is crucial to remember when life is not going as we planned. It very well may be that God has rescued us from our very own flawed plan that would have brought us much heartache! We have the choice to follow God’s plan which will be spectacular, or our own plan which will be at best okay and at worst disastrous.
Romans 8:28, and we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, and who have been called according to His purpose.
When Israel lay devastated in the face of a ruthless enemy that would rob all the glory and strip bare the very soul of God’s people, God issues his promise. While the destruction visited upon them was in response to their rebellion and sin, God’s punishment wasn’t punitive alone, but redemptive. In their destruction, God promised prosperity, hope, and a future. Just as a doctor must cause pain when he sets a broken bone so it may heal, God’s discipline is not capricious but curative, and ultimately life-giving.
I can’t imagine my life without God in it! Without God in their heart, there is no hope, a person is “wishing” their circumstance were different. With God in your heart, there is always “hope” for a better tomorrow and a peace knowing you are not alone, God is always with you!

In my struggles, O Lord, help me find your grace — not in the relief of struggle and pain, but in the redemption and change of my heart and my habits to your glory. By your grace and in the name of my Savior Jesus I ask it. Amen.

God, you are my hope and my salvation. I pray today that all who are struggling through any trials, find you in their heart. I pray to you to lift them up to know your love, strength, mercies and grace, to have that personal relationship with you. Your presence in their hearts will give them a sustaining hope to endure and ultimately glorify you. I pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
https://youtu.be/QyTBoS_V0hw