Plans of Hope
January 12
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 … You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all
your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11, 13
Work was coming slower due to the housing crunch, and Gary was stressed.
The bills were mounting; there was unspoken strain between he and his wife,
and he didn’t know what to do. He’d been trusting God for as long as he could
remember, yet this was different; there seemed to be a silence on God’s part
right now. He felt they were being tested to see if they really believed what they
professed, that God would meet all their needs.
A friend suggested they allow their prayer time to become a time of listen-
ing rather than petitioning. So over the next two weeks, Gary and Beth spent
their mornings together, asking only for God’s wisdom to deal with each day
and what it brought, looking to Him for guidance and strength.
Job contracts remained flat lined; it seemed as if nothing was happening,
yet during those two weeks, they had felt God’s peace. This morning, they’d
received a card in the mail containing well wishes and fifty dollars from an
anonymous donor. Two days later a friend dropped by with a bag of potatoes
and a sack of onions. Over the next several weeks, they watched as God pro-
vided in ways they never would have imagined.
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When we’re stressed out and fretting over unmet needs, we can get emotion-
ally bogged down. God’s voice can become white noise in our lives, and we can
lose hope.
The art of listening is something we develop. It requires intentional
thought. In a chaotic society that vies for every thought, we must force our-
selves to slow down, spend time alone with God, and listen. By listening for
His voice instead of immediately trying to resolve problems on our own, we
become aware of God’s leading. It is then we learn to walk beside God and not
run ahead into hopeless frustration.
Prayer
“God of hope, we ask to hear Your voice so that we
may know You are near. Help us trust You and Your
plan for our future. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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