Trusting Your Future to God’s Care and Control
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know who holds the future. He’s the same God who holds you in His hands. Jeremiah wanted Israel to know that God had a plan for them. Despite the circumstances of their captivity in a foreign land, Jeremiah said that God was not through with them. He had a future for them, and it was a hope-filled future. The problem was that many of them were trying to control their own future. Others were so worried about their future that they couldn’t live in the present. So, Jeremiah gave them this amazing word from God. “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
God wanted them to know that He cared about their future and that He controlled the big picture. God cares about your future as well! Despite the difficult circumstances you may be facing, even when it seems that all hope is gone, God has a hope and a future for you. God is for you. He’s not out to get you.
When I get discouraged and anxious about the future, I like to look at the back of my Bible and remind myself that, in the end, we win! When you know that, you can stop struggling to control your future and surrender to Christ’s care and control. How do you do that? Jeremiah gives us wise counsel for how to do that in the following verses,
“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.” (Vs. 12, 13)
Are you seeking to know the future more than you are seeking to know God? When you stop struggling to control the future and surrender to Christ’s care and control, you will come to know the God who holds your future in His hands. In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul put it like this, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:6,7 (NLT)
Another important part of your daily devotional is spending time with God in prayer. The Woodlands Church Prayer Board lists prayer requests submitted by our members and provides a way to send them some encouragement by using a button on the page to let them know that you prayed for them. Whether you use the Prayer Board, or pray from your heart, the goal is to build the habit of incorporating prayer into your quiet time.
Need prayer yourself? Let us know by submitting a prayer request on the Woodlands Church Prayer Board.