Encouragement for Today

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you," says the Lord. "I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land."

Jeremiah 29:11–14 (NIV)

Do you believe deep down that God has good plans for you? Sometimes life throws some pretty hard curveballs, and it's tempting to believe that God is unaware of our plight. Certainly the exiled Israelites to whom God was speaking must have felt that way. Here God assures us that his plans are for our good. But these good plans are bound up in our relationship with him. Finding him, we connect with his good plan. If it feels as if God's nowhere to be seen, seek him wholeheartedly. When you find him, you'll find your future hope as well.