A Future and a Hope

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 29:11

I've heard it said that the future is an opportunity yet unmet, a path
yet untraveled, a life yet unlived. How our future will be lived depends on the
priorities and purposes of our lives today. The direction we take right now
determines where we will end up in the future.

We might be frightened by an uncertain future, but as Christians, we don't
have to be afraid. We can welcome the New Year with an anticipation of what God
will do in us and through us. Our future as Christians is as bright as the
promises of God.

When the children of Israel were being held as captives in Babylon, God sent
them a message of hope. Many of them felt that God had forgotten about them or
that His intentions toward them were bad. They were frightened about their
future, and they cried out to God for deliverance. So God raised up the prophet
Jeremiah to speak to them.

If you have ever felt as though you were forgotten by God, if you have ever
felt that God was against you, or if you have ever been frightened about your
future, then God's words to the Israelites apply to you as well: "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). Search for God. He has
a future and a hope for you too.

For more
relevant and biblical teaching from Pastor Greg Laurie, go to
www.harvest.org.

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