Wait for it...

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and com and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the LORD..."

(Jeremiah 29:11-14)

We all want to be blessed. We want good things to happen to us in life. We want happiness and joy. We want to have a purpose and meaning in life. I think it's how we're wired by God.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 is one of those "cross-stitch passages" from the Bible. You know what I'm talking about, right? One of those passages that are often made into "inspirational posters," or printed on t-shirts, or cross-stitched onto pillows. It's very encouraging! We want to know that God has a plan of blessing and hope and prosperity for us. That we can seek and find God here and now. And that's exactly what this passage in Jeremiah says.

Except...

Except it's important to know what the context in which this "cross-stitched passage" was written. It came at a time when the people of Israel were captives in Babylon. They'd been carried away from their homeland some 700+ miles, and forced to live in a foreign land for what would eventually become 70 years. (Yah, not exactly something most people have on their 'bucket list,' now is it?!?) It was perhaps the darkest time in Israel's history.

But God sent a word of hope and encouragement to the exiled people just when they needed it most. A word to persevere. A word to endure. A word to not lose heart. It was exactly what they needed to help get them through those 70 years in captivity.

So yah, we all want to be blessed, sure. But there are times in life when it feels like everything but blessings are coming our way. When we're on the verge of giving up and giving in. When we feel like God has forgotten or abandoned us. IT'S IN THESE MOMENTS, especially, that this word from Jeremiah 29 speaks so loudly! Don't despair! God knows. And God has a plan for our benefit. It just might not come as quickly as we'd like. So hold on. Hang in there! Don't give up! Trust in the LORD, the Creator & Redeemer of our souls!

May we have the courage to wait for it!