“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

The above promise is given to Judah by the Lord God when Babylonians completely defeated them and lived in exile away from their land as captives. Their sins and rebelliousness were the reasons for their defeat and captivity. It is heartbreaking and an added agony when we understand our punishment and condition was due to our sins and disobedience to a holy God. Psalms 137 describes their sadness and despair in a foreign land. It says they sat by the rivers of Babylon and wept. Read below.

“By the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
How can we sing the songs of the Lord
while in a foreign land?”

In such a painful and saddened condition that is caused by only their continued sins against God, God is sending this message through prophet Jeremiah. God declares to them “I know the plans I have for you.” They thought God forgot and abandoned them. But it is not true, the Lord says. He says I did not forget you. I have not done with you. You are in my mind. He has good thoughts about them. He declares His plans to prosper them and not to harm them. He is thinking to prosper them though they are weeping and sad. The Lord does not have any plan to harm them. Oh! What a relief? The Lord thinks about His wayward children, and He still plans to prosper them, and he would not harm them. Secondly, God plans to give them a hope and future.

All of us, in our sadness and pain, want to hear this from the loving Lord, don’t we? But how can this promise God made specifically to Israel when they lived in exile apply to us? Beloved, on the night before the crucifixion of Jesus Christ for all of our sins, he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me. And then after the supper, “he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” This is what we remember in our worship services by taking part in the Lord’s table, isn’t it? The Lord Jesus purchased us with His blood and made us partakers of all the blessings of God that He gave in the Old Testament to Israel. Christ included us in the new covenant by purchasing us by paying with His own blood. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:20, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him, the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.” All the promises God made are applicable for us as believers in Christ. No matter how many promises He made, they all are “Yes” in Christ for us. Therefore, if you are in Christ, in other words, if you trusted Jesus as your savior and Lord, all the promises God made to His covenant people are fully and entirely belong to you as well.

The Lord promises you today. It does not matter what happened in the past. The loving Lord think about you. He did not forget you or done with you. He plans to prosper and will not harm you. He plans to give you a hope and a future.

Beloved, are you in Jesus Christ? If you are, then do not be afraid because the LORD will not abandon you no matter what. He thinks and plans to prosper, give you a hope and a future. If you are not in Christ yet, you can invite Jesus Christ as your savior and Lord, and all God’s promises will be ‘Yes’ to you in a small prayer now.

Got a moment for today’s prayer? Pray after me. “Father in heaven, I believe you think about me and have a plan for me. Plan to prosper me and not to harm me. Plan to give me a hope and future. I believe Jesus Christ died, buried and rose again for my sins. Please save me from my sins. I grab hold of all the promises you made in the Bible. Give me hope and a wonderful future for me. Thank you for hearing my prayer. In Christ’s name, I pray. Amen.”