Knowing the Plans...(Robbie)

"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.
-Jeremiah 29:11

Now, over the years this passage has been interpreted a thousand different ways! Some say that this verse shows that God will ALWAYS keep bad things from happening in our lives, and that God will only let good, prosperous things happen to us! Now obviously, we know that this is not the case. If it were, God would have been broken that promise a long time ago.

Some also misinterpret this passage to say that God has very specific plans for you in your life. "I really felt like God was leading me to eat at this restaraunt instead of that one." "God would rather me drive this car, not that one." People often read this verse, and think that the word "plans" are extremely specific, and they spend their whole life groaning over every little decision in their life trying to "make sure" it is in God's "plans." But honestly, that's not necessarily what this passage was talking about either.

See, the thrust of this passage is very different from either of these. I think "The Message," another translation of the Bible illustrates the true meaning of this passage better than any other...

"I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for."

This verse is much more about our trust in God than anything else. God PROMISES here, that when it comes to your life, he KNOWS what he is doing...even when you don't. He has it all figured out...even when you don't. He promises us that even when it doesn't seem like it, HE has it all under control. And HE knows what's best for us in the long run, even though we may not. This is HIS promise to us...the point here is, He wants us to TRUST this promise. What happens is, when we refuse to trust that God has it all under control, we begin to do what Pastor Jared said in the previous post, we begin to worry. But God wants us to live in peace, in freedom, and in the comfort that comes of knowing that our God has EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES under His infinite control!