“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. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me,
and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for
Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13
These
are in part some of the words the prophet Jeremiah had written in a letter from
Jerusalem to those Judeans who had been taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar of
Babylon. He wrote to them as a means of giving
them hope for their future. The promise
God gives through His prophet is conditional.
It stands as a valid promise to this very day and the condition remains
the same as well.
The Lord wishes to give us a future and a hope. Eternity with Him is hope enough and that in
and of itself makes our future glorious.
Regarding calling upon the Lord, it is the word ‘when’ that makes it
conditional. You must seek God with all your heart. You mustn’t be double minded. You mustn’t go about it with a casual
attitude. Seeking God is a very
deliberate act that requires all of our heart, mind, soul and strength. God promises that if we devote ourselves to seeking Him, He will be found. When we speak to Him either out loud or to
ourselves, He will listen. It is also clear throughout scripture that He
not only listens but He responds.
Too many people approach God with unbelief in their heart as
a person who sticks their big toe in the water to see if they want to venture
in. We must go in full bore, with no
hesitation. A half-hearted, double minded man will receive nothing from the
Lord, but the person who gives their heart away to God will receive the benefit
of all the promises found in His word. That
is the in response to the ‘when’.
The culmination of our labors for Him shall be rewarded with an eternal home that will defy description. For scripture clearly tells us in Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV) Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
The culmination of our labors for Him shall be rewarded with an eternal home that will defy description. For scripture clearly tells us in Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9 NKJV) Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing!
