To Give You a Future and a Hope:
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”—Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of the Lord’s plans for all of His children, promising that His thoughts toward us are ones of peace, so that we might have a future and hope in Him. When we combined this promise of what the Lord desires for us with the knowledge that God is never changing, truthful, and a keeper of promises, then we can go through each day of our lives expecting…
Expecting God’s goodness and promises; knowing that, while we are here in these earthen vessels, trials may come, but God will always seek our peace—He will give us a future and a hope.
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”—Numbers 23:19
“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”—Hebrews 13:8
Yet, what does a future and a hope look like?
The details of this may differ for each of us; after all, what brings hope to one may not bring hope to another. Yet, for the children of God, a relationship with Him—the blessings and wholeness that brings—is what our future consists of. It is what brings us hope, and the peace we desire… because, in walking with Messiah, we find fullness. We find who we truly are.
For each of us, as we walk with God and discover our hope and future in Him, it is wonderful to realize that today—in OUR lives—so much of the Word is coming to pass!
Those prophecies of generations past are showing us what we should hope for; because they are our promised future.
For instance, Joel 2:28-32 speaks of the last days before the return of Messiah—days we are quickly approaching.
“And it shall come to pass afterward
that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions.
And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit in those days.”
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth:
blood and fire and pillars of smoke.
The sun shall be turned into darkness,
and the moon into blood,
before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.
And it shall come to pass
that whoever calls on the name of the Lord
shall be saved.
For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance,
as the Lord has said,
among the remnant whom the Lord calls.”─Joel 2:28-32
This scripture promises us that our future is one where God will pour out His Spirit… where all God’s people who remain faithful to Him will dream dreams, see visions, and prophesy details of our future—filling our spirits with His PERFECT peace and the hope of His Glory.
Joel 2:28 and beyond are a part of the promise of Jeremiah 29:11, that one scripture in Jeremiah bringing us so much…
Further Promises of God:
The promise of Jeremiah 29:11 is contained within a single sentence, and yet, the full extent of that promise cannot be so simply described.
When God promises a future and a hope. When He proclaims that His thoughts are for our peace… we know we are getting more than our own thoughts can comprehend.
We are getting the LOVE of the God of the Universe. His thoughts for us being what He is… pure love.
“He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.”—1 John 4:8
We are PROTECTED by God and His angels. Our shelter being wholly in Him.
“The Lord will fight for you, and you shall hold your peace.”—Exodus 14:14
“Because You have been my help,
therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
My soul follows close behind You;
Your right hand upholds me.”—Psalm 63:7-8
We are REDEEMED by God… by the precious blood of Jesus!
“…for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation…”—Revelation 5:9
“Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands—that at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”—Ephesians 2:11-13
We are made WHOLE by our God.
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity.”—Ephesians 2:14-16
We are given the HOLY SPIRT to guide us… we are given DIRECTION and Godly WISDOM.
“…you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”—Ephesians 2:22
“…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”—Matthew 3:11
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”—James 1:5
“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” —Proverbs 3:6
Takeaway:
While Jeremiah 29:11 may at first glance appear like a “simple” promise for our peace, future, and hope… it contains so much more. So many of the promises of the Word feed into this one promise!
In fact, within the promise of Jeremiah 29:11 God provides and gives us more than we expect. He empowers us to live our lives for Him, and with Him.
It is a precious promise.
It is more than even all of the scriptures shown above, and all the goodness they contain. For Jeremiah 29:11 speaks of the future… and in the future is the return of Messiah. The return to the pre-fall state!
If that is not a future of hope and peace, then what is?
However, He goes a step further…
For while we wait for His glorious return, He has given us His Holy Spirit to reside within US!
He has made us HIS TEMPLES.
Earthen vessels filled with GLORY FROM HEAVEN!
So, while we wait for our Messiah, let us rest in the PEACE of His PRESENCE. Let us revel in the HOLY SPIRIT; letting HIM GUIDE US as He directs us TO OUR FUTURE. As He gives us a HOPE that can ONLY BE FOUND IN HIM.