Hope is a very powerful thing.\u00a0 People will cling to hope far longer than many other things.\u00a0 Sometimes in our life, hope is all we have.\u00a0 Hope that things are going to get better.\u00a0 Hope that this life is not all there is.\u00a0 Now when I say hope, I don’t mean it in the sense of maybe something is or maybe something isn’t.\u00a0 To me, hope is a quiet confidence that things are going to happen at some point in the future.\u00a0 I have hope that things will get better, but only after this life ends.\u00a0 I know that this life is not all there is, but rather there is something far better awaiting those who love and believe in Jesus as their personal Savior.<\/p>\n
In Jeremiah 29:4-14 we see God’s people living in Babylon as captives and feeling as though they had no hope.\u00a0 After all, it was their sin that had sent them to captivity in the first place.\u00a0 Had God finally given up on them?\u00a0 Had they finally gone too far?\u00a0 Jeremiah was one of God’s prophets during this particularly difficult time in the nation of Israel’s history, and he wrote a letter to the captives in Babylon.\u00a0 There in Babylon there were false prophets telling them people that they wouldn’t be in captivity very long and nothing would happen to their beloved city of Jerusalem.\u00a0 Then there were other false prophets saying that the Israelites would never go back to their homeland, that God had permanently kicked them out.\u00a0 Imagine hearing either scenario or both scenarios.\u00a0 Who was right?\u00a0 Would this be a short time and everything would be ok, or had they finally gone too far?\u00a0 Day after day passed and nothing really changed, I imagine the Israelites were beginning to think they had messed up too big this time, and that God was done wit them.\u00a0 In the midst of this, Jeremiah writes a letter to the captives to give them the hope that had all but seemingly disappeared.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 First Jeremiah tells them, go on with your life, get married, and even pray for those in the cities you live.\u00a0 In other words, don’t worry your present circumstances are not your final realities.\u00a0 Secondly, Jeremiah gives them the exact time period they would be in Babylon (v. 10).\u00a0 They would be in captivity for 70 years.\u00a0 Now that could give you hope, because they could go back and figure out how long they had been in Babylon and that would tell them how much longer they had to go.\u00a0 Next, Jeremiah assured the people that God had a plan for them (v. 11) and that He was in control.\u00a0 Finally, Jeremiah reminded them that God had not given up on them and that He was with them, even in the midst of difficult circumstances (v. 12).\u00a0 All they had to do was to seek God with all of their heart, and they would find Him.<\/p>\n
Over two thousand years later, things are still the same for us today.\u00a0 Life can be very difficult and sometimes it leads us to question if God is even there, or if He loves us, or if there is any hope for us.\u00a0 If you are a child of God, you will always have His presence with you (1 Cor. 6:19), we can rest assured that He does have a plan for our life and that He is in control of that plan, even if it seems as though our life is out of control.\u00a0 And we can know that as a Christian, there is an end to the problems, struggles, trials, and tribulations of this world.\u00a0 It may not be exactly 70 years, but there is an end.\u00a0 Hebrews 9:27 reminds us, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, then the judgment.”\u00a0 We will all leave this world.\u00a0 Revelation 21 tells us there will be no sorrow, crying, death, or pain in heaven.\u00a0 Now if that doesn’t give us hope, I don’t know what will.<\/p>\n
Dear Christian, I know you are hurting and I know life is difficult, but hang on because God does have a purpose, He is by your side to help you, and there is a better day coming!<\/p>\n
I would like to ask those who read this to do one of two things.\u00a0 If you are a Christian, write a comment on how God has been faithful in getting you through difficult times in life.\u00a0 If you are not a Christian, please take time to contact us that we may pray for you and tell you how you can have a true hope that never passes or fails.<\/p>\n
By His grace through His strength, may we live for Him!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hope is a very powerful thing.\u00a0 People will cling to hope far longer than many other things.\u00a0 Sometimes in our life, hope is all we have.\u00a0 Hope that things are going to get better.\u00a0 Hope that this life is not … Read More