Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) 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.
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(This is me trying to look cool, modelling for the camera in my preteen years. LoL!)
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“Come on!”
My mom grabbed my hand and dragged me to the front of the church as I reluctantly gave in. I was 9-years-old and just starting to enter the phase of wanting to look cool.
That day at church we had a guest speaker visiting and my mom wanted me to meet him after the service. Around that time I had been struggling a lot with different fears and felt particularly anxious about my future. In school we were hearing about all the dangers of teenage angst and I started to wonder what would happen to me in my teenage years.
We walked up and stood in front of the guest speaker as my mom introduced me. He took my hand and said, “You have music in you!” I was completely shocked that someone I’ve never met could possibly know that about me. “How did you know?!” I gasped. He very matter-of-factly replied that God had told him. He continued, saying, “God is going to use you in a colorful way,” and wrote Jeremiah 29:11 on my hand.
In that moment all the fear and anxiety I had about the future melted away. God knew exactly what I needed; the reassurance that He is with me and has great plans for my life.
Over the past week I’ve been praying and asking God what Bible verse to focus on as we turn the calendar page to a new year and He brought back this memory and Bible verse from my childhood. It’s a beautiful reminder that God has our back, He has great plans for us and He loves us. There is no need to fear the future because our infinite God is already there.
I also feel led to pray this over you. Feel free to email me any prayer requests that you have for this coming year! May this be an encouragement to you that the King of the Universe is WITH you and FOR you! Let’s head into 2018 with great expectation for what He has planned for us.
COMMENT BELOW: What is your #1 theme, verse, or goal/resolution for 2018?