Jeremiah 29:11
“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.“
This scripture has been life-changing for many Christians, and they hold on to it during times of darkness.
Jeremiah 29:11 was written when people were in the midst of suffering and pain; they were looking for immediate rescue. But God’s response was not an immediate plan of action but a promise- that He had a plan to prosper them amid their current predicament.
Similarly, when we go through the valley of darkness, our minds and hearts are gobbled with negative thoughts. We want to come out of the problem sooner and want an immediate solution. As a result, we end up doubting God’s plan and taking matters into our control.
The pain and sufferings we go through sometimes are a part of God’s plan to make us strong and wise for our future endeavours. Jeremiah 29:11 is not a promise of an easy journey and a straight path but a promise from God that He is in control even when things seem bleak. It is a promise that even when we cannot figure out what is happening, God knows it from the beginning to the end.
The scripture says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”(Isaiah 55:8). God knows exactly what He is doing. The real test of faith comes when we trust Him even if things don’t go our way.
