‘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 vs 11
How do you feel when you know that someone is thinking of you? In a world that seems increasingly busy and with many people struggling to juggle the demands they face in life we are often surprised when people take the time to encourage us through an email or card or phone call out of the blue. For many of us we are living life at such a fast pace that we take little time ourselves to think about the direction of our lives. If we are not careful, we find ourselves so occupied with what’s urgent that we often don’t take the time to dwell on what is really important to us. Sometimes we can feel like we are stuck on a hamster wheel that just keeps turning. It can almost feel like a luxury to be able to press pause and to consider the bigger questions of life. And when we do get a minute to take time to dream about what could be we are often confronted by our shortcomings and our limitations. We all too easily allow mistakes from the past or fear of failure to quash any thoughts we might have of believing that life can be different from what we are currently experiencing.
Today you should take great comfort in the fact that the Lord is not short of time to think about where your life is going. He is not short of dreams for you. What is more he doesn’t discount you for your failings, your inadequacies or insecurities. He only thinks good thoughts concerning you. Take a moment to let that sink in. It’s hard for us to truly imagine what such unconditional love can look like. Even with the people we love the most, we can all at times disappoint each other and let one another down. Then we can find our thoughts towards each other becoming negative as we focus on the works of the flesh. But the Lord operates from an entirely different grid.
The Lord looks at you through the lens of his precious son Jesus. We understand that at the cross Jesus paid for every mistake and failing on our part. What we really need to get our heads around is the fact that when the Lord sees us, He sees the beauty and perfection of Jesus. He sees him spotless and blameless and it is with these same eyes that he chooses to see us.
In his perfect love He cherishes you and thinks only good thoughts about you. You can have hope for your future today because the God of all hope created you and placed you on this earth for a unique purpose. Each one of us is made in the image of God. Each one of us reflects his glory through our own special personality and gifting. That is why we can have confidence today for our tomorrows. This verse assures us that we are not only on the Lord’s mind, but what he pictures when he thinks of us is goodness, blessing, favour and the opportunity to reveal his glory.
The Lord has had his heart set on you for a long time. No matter how far you may feel you have strayed from the path the Lord has destined for you, remember today that He is the God of new beginnings, He is the Lord who restores the years the locusts have eaten and he is the Lord that has placed His living hope on the inside of you!
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Unshakeable Hope Series – Exchange Church Belfast 2021