“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse of great encouragement. Here is a tremendous promise that has lifted the spirits of many people as the Bible assures us that God’s purpose for us is a plan for peace and hope. Each of us should rejoice that we serve a God who intends what is best for us.

But when ever I see or hear someone refer to Jeremiah 29:11, I almost never see the next two verses included. And that is unfortunate, because verses 12 and 13 give us the context in which God’s future of peace and hope will be realized in our lives. “Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Does God have a plan for our lives? Does this plan lead us into peace with God and hope for tomorrow and the future? How do we find this purpose and receive this blessing?

Jeremiah says that if we want to experience what God intends for us, we must call upon God, we must pray. But more than that, we must seek Him. And we cannot seek Him lightly or occasionally or half-heartedly. If we want to find God and His purpose for our life, if we want to know the peace and the hope that He intends for us to enjoy, we must search for Him with all of our heart.

For so many people today, their faith and their Christian life is just a segment of who they are. Being a Christian and a member of a church is just one of many sticks they have in the fire. It is a part of their life that is reserved for part of one day of the week. And because of that they are missing out on much of what God has planned for them. Stop fitting God into your schedule when you can and start structuring your whole life according to His desire for you. Decide today to search for God’s presence and His plan with your whole heart. Love Him with your whole heart. Give Him every part of your life every day of your life.
You will never regret it.
                                                       Pastor Randy