It is the New Year, a time when resolutions are made and plans are struck for the future. I wonder how many of us understand that God is the magnificent planner and organizer in our lives? When you make plans for your future, be sure to include God in them, for ultimately, He steers your boat. He knows the plans that He has for you! It is a good prayer to ask that you successfully implement them.
I love this scripture from Jeremiah. It is my favorite of the Lord's promises. Though Jeremiah is speaking to those exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon, it applies to all of us through time, as we wait upon our Lord and Savior. Jeremiah was a greater prophet, after all.
11 'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. 12 'Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 'I will be found by you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,' declares the LORD, 'and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'
Jeremiah 29:11-14
The Lord tells us He will listen to us. He promises that He will listen to our prayers. It is imperative that we pray from the heart. It is worth our while to quiet ourselves, so we can then hear what the Great Communicator has to say to us. He promises, "I will be found by you." So, it is not futile exercise to make our requests in heartfelt prayer. He has promised to listen! Then be still! Close your eyes, sit back and listen to Him! He has the most excellent advice about how to walk down the path toward the eternal future He has planned for you!
Listen to God's Plan for You, by Pastor Betty Evans
