Scripture
Reading: Jeremiah 29:1-14
“For I know
the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you hope and a
future. In those days when you pray, I
will listen. You will find me when you
seek me, if you look for me in earnest.
Yes, says
the Lord, I will be found by you, and I will end your slavery and restore your
fortune, and gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you back
home again to your own land.”-Jeremiah 29:11-14 TLB
One of the
Christmas presents I received in December 1973 was “The Way”, a Bible that was
geared towards high school age students. It was a gift from my uncle, Wallace Kirby, a Methodist minister, and
his wife Sally.
Near the
front of that Bible was a list of all the books and chapters in a checklist
form. I saw that I started reading it on
December 27, 1973. I dutifully checked
off each chapter I read, until I got stuck—for many years. When I stopped the regular reading, I only
had 6 chapters left to complete reading it one time through. I didn’t ignore it completely. I would pick it up and read a passage now and
again when I was particularly stimulated by a Sunday sermon or a particular
season of the church year. Recently, I
picked that Bible up from the nightstand where it sat and started to read it
from where I left off—the Old Testament Book of Jeremiah. Wow, did he have it tough compared to other
prophets. In God’s message to the
exiled people of Israel, however, is a pearl of hope and future.
Earlier in
Lent, Chuck asked me to sing a solo for our virtual church service. I came
across “If You Search with All Your Heart,” a solo by Craig Courtney, based on
Jeremiah 29:11-14. In that passage
Jeremiah writes a letter to Jeconiah the king who was in exile in Babylon. In that letter, God tells his people in
Babylon he has a plan for them, plans for good and not for evil. God continues,
“In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest. When
you have found me, I will end your slavery and gather you out of the nations
where I sent you and bring you back home again to your own land.”
I feel that
this passage is so applicable to the season of Lent, a time of reflection and
prayer. It speaks to me and urges me to prayerfully
seek God each day and He will bring me back to him. The words are a humble prayer from God to his
people, to seek him, find him, be restored, and have hope for the future. It is
a passage that should speak to each of us, not just during Lent, but each and
every day of our lives.
Thought for
the day: As we follow our own Lenten
journey to the cross and Easter, let us reflect on God’s plans for us and our
future.
--Bob Morgan