His plan is to give you a future and a hope!
There’s a familiar verse in the Bible most of us probably know and may have clung to from time to time. In fact, those who don’t know Jesus often know this verse or at least part of it! It’s on plaques, signs, Facebook posts, tattoos, just everywhere. The verse is Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
This verse is contained in a letter Jeremiah specifically wrote and addressed to the surviving Jewish elders and priests who were taken into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians. This letter is a chapter included in the book Jeremiah wrote that’s contained in the Bible…oddly enough named Jeremiah! God is saying to these captives I know My plans for you! You may be sitting there after having been ripped from your homes, after having lost all your possessions, after being dragged to a foreign land hundreds of miles away to live as a slave to those Babylonian people, you may feel lost, everything may look hopeless, BUT I know My plan for you. Yes, I have a plan; yes, I have a purpose; and yes, you are an integral part of My plan.
God is saying to these people things may not look bright. Your situation may appear to you as though I’ve forgotten you, I don’t care about you, or I have just discarded you…BUT I do care, I do know your circumstance, and I have a plan. Your captivity, your tough situation, is part of My plan for you! This plan is ultimately for your good and not for your downfall!
Now we know the end of that story. By taking Israel into captivity, God did amazing things in the heart of the people and turned them toward Himself once more. They gave up idolatry; they became focused on His word; it set the final stage for the Messiah to come and fulfill the ultimate prophecies bringing redemption and hope to the world. In the beginning, it may not have seemed like God had any control, or any kind of plan or was able to help His people in any way. But this plan He spoke of took them through captivity with an ultimate finalization that provided great blessing for Israel and for the world…God knows what He’s doing!
I suspect you have your own captivity story and hopefully you’ve understood God’s plan for the confusion or trouble you may have faced. I have so many stories I could tell but let me share a thought I had last week. In 2013, God gave the elders at New Life a vision to plant a multisite campus. As we worked through the process, God, beyond the shadow of a doubt, led us to plant New Life Whitehall. In 2015, we launched the Whitehall campus. Since then, New Life Whitehall has had ups and downs, successes and failures, good days and bad days. There’ve been times I sat in my office saying Jesus why are we here, why does this have to be so hard, are You still there leading us?
Now if you know you know how God miraculously blessed the planting of New Life Whitehall with all our ministry efforts. Over and over again, He’s shown Himself faithful as He unveils His plan one step at a time for this community and this church campus. I don’t have space today to brag on all God’s done for New Life Whitehall! If you have three hours, ask me and I’ll be happy to share it all with you!! But at the end of the day, I have to say God did and does have a plan for New Life Whitehall - a plan for His glory and for our joy! Even though there have been days I may have felt like one of those Jewish priests in Babylon, I see God’s plan at work - I know my plan for you.
I had one of those epiphany moments last week. Last Tuesday, we held our yearly LifeWise Academy boot camp. This is an event we do just before the start of school to train and develop and connect with all the LifeWise volunteers who will be serving the ministry this school year. I was to give an opening motivational word. As I considered what I’d say I realized this would be our 5th year doing LifeWise Academy!
I had this thought, in 2013 when God impressed upon me to plant a church in Whitehall, Ohio, He already had envisioned us meeting in 2025 for our 5th year of LifeWise Academy boot camp! God gave us the orders to take the Gospel to Whitehall, to add a new voice for the Gospel in this community. When He did that, most of the students who will attend LifeWise Academy this year weren’t even born. In 2013, God already had LifeWise Academy in Whitehall, Ohio in His plan - before there was a New Life Whitehall, before most of the kids that are believing in Him today because of this ministry were even alive. He had us in mind, doing what we are doing right here, before we even knew right here was right here!
God speaks to us through the prophet Isaiah and says, Isaiah 55:8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. 9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. He thought this through before we even had a thought! New Life Whitehall is doing exactly what God planned for us to do from day one!
God told Israel when they were in the midst of their greatest trauma…this is My plan for you and it’s not for your calamity; it’s for your joy! God is fulfilling His plan for New Life Whitehall every day. Every good day and every bad day, God is executing His plan for this campus. We may not understand, we may not see the direction, but in faith we’re taking Him at his word.
Where are you today? Is God fulfilling the plan He has for you in you? You may not see or understand what’s happening but keep your eyes on Him, keep your faith in Him, keep your hand in His hand and He’ll live out His will through you. His plan for you is for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope!