"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, indeed a future."
-Jeremiah 29:11
How could anyone make sense of the chaos and sufferings of this world apart from Christ?
There are those who leverage the reality of sufferings to double down on their rejection of Christ, citing that if God were all knowing and all powerful then suffering shouldn’t, in fact, couldn’t exist. Denying Him does noting to eliminate sufferings, it merely compounds sufferings eternally.
They’ve overlooked the source of sufferings… humanity. In order to eliminate the source, God would need to eliminate us, and that was never an option for Him.
Scripture reveals that before He created (all powerful), He knew (all knowing) we would succumb to the temptation of sin and rebel against Him… yet the LORD -still- chose to sacrifice Himself for the benefit of those He would redeem by His own blood (all gracious).
God is not unaware of our sufferings. He’s not incompetent in resolving them. The Cross of Christ is evidence of that. He is, however, patient with His judgment for there are many sons and daughters of God who’ve yet to hear… yet to receive… yet to experience the glory of the Gospel.
So if today you are feeling the immense burden of living amid chaos and sufferings, you are not crazy or alone. If today your heart has been broken and the tears of injustice are spilling over from a deeply wounded soul that longs for the peace and rest of our everlasting home… know the He has Good Plans for you.
Just know those plans don’t include making the cesspool of this fallen world into a material kingdom of material prosperity and emotional bliss. People often overlook that Jeremiah 29:11 reveals God's good plan is a hope in a future reality.
So what good does that do me today?
The Apostle Paul said he’d learned the secret of being content in all things… beatings, shipwrecks, stonings, poverty, hunger, imprisonment and persecutions… Paul said in Philippians 4:13, “I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."
Paul changed his expectations from temporal and material bliss in the now to a future hope. He learned to bite down on his mouthpiece and wade into the firefight of life with no other expectation than that Christ would be glorified in his desperate dependency and obedience in the now.
When we stop chasing the idols of comfort and security - striving to turn this broken world into something God never intended it to be - and instead focus on doing the good works He’s prepared in advance for us to walk in as our new way of life… we'll find ALL the contentment and strength Paul found in Christ. Then, we can do all things through Him who gives us strength too.
He has Good Plans for us… for you. Those plans don’t look ANYTHING like the good plans we have for ourselves. His kingdom doesn't look anything like our earthly kingdoms. His ways are infinitely above our ways.
We can continue compounding our sufferings by warring against and grieving the Spirit of God, or we can truly submit and give ourselves over to His perfect plan.
He has Good Plans, but do I really want to take part in His or do I want to keep chasing and asking God to bless my plans that lead me deeper into darkness and despair?
That’s the question.
Blessings,
Kevin M. Kelley
You can help support my ministry of sharing the Gospel by purchasing copies of my children's book, UNSTOPPABLE! through major retailers like Amazon, B&N, ChristianBook, etc.
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