For I know the plans I have for you”-this is the LORD’s declaration-“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to Me and come and pray to Me and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 HCSB
The first verse in our Scripture passage today is very popular. It is on signs in people’s homes, t-shirts, book bags, and coffee cups. You are probably familiar with it. It’s a reassuring message which tells us God wants good things for us and has good things planned.
It would be so easy to just read that one verse and think all is well and there is nothing required on our part. God promises good things for us. If we read the verses before and after this verse, we see that we have to keep our promises to God as well.
Our relationship with our Lord and Savior is like a marriage. When we accept Him as our Savior, we take vows. We make promises. This is a letter written from Jeremiah to the captives in Babylon. He is telling them that after they have been there for 70 years, God will restore them to their land. In the meantime, they are expected to live as residents of the land. They are expected to pray for Babylon, yes for their captors. They are to intercede and pray for the welfare of Babylon, because if Babylon does well, so will they.
After verse 11, God is telling them that if they call on Him, He will listen. God doesn’t listen to us when we are lost in sin. Isaiah had told the Israelites that their sin created a barrier and caused God not to hear their prayer. But now God is saying after these 70 years, He has good plans for them. He is promising to listen when they pray to Him.
He then promises they will find Him when they seek Him with all their heart. He promises good plans for their welfare, but they have to call on Him and seek Him with all their heart.
Marriages fail because people don’t take their vows seriously. When we accept Christ, we must keep the promises we make to Him. We are commanded to love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind. This means we love the Lord with all we have. We give our hearts, our time, and our money to honor Him and praise Him.
God makes some wonderful promises to us, but if you read these promises, we also have a part to do. Another often-quoted Scripture passage is Romans 8:28 which says, “All things work for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.”
God promises to work all things for our good if we love Him and do what He has called us to do.
There are also promises made to us by God if we fail to do what He has called us to do.
In Romans 1:21-24, God tells us that if we reject Him long enough, He will give us over to our evil desires and make our thinking senseless and foolish.
He also warns those who play church or pretend to be Christians that He will turn them away at the judgment. In Matthew 7:23 he warns that for those who don’t do the will of the Father, He will turn them away, saying, “I never knew you! Depart from Me, you lawbreakers!”
This is why I encourage you to not read your Bible but study your Bible. Don’t pull verses out of context and don’t sit and listen to teachers and preachers who pull verses out of context.
Yes, God makes some wonderful promises to those who are faithful to Him. He makes some terrifying promises to those who are not. Being faithful to Him involves us doing our part and doing the will of the Father. It involves us being obedient and trusting in Him.
You can be sure He will keep His promises. If you want all the good things He has promised, then you must keep your promises to Him. You must call on Him and seek Him with your whole heart.
Have a great day!