Harvest Daily 01/03/05
January 3
God Has Not Forgotten
"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
I believe every Christian ought to commit Jeremiah 29:11 to memory: " '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.' "
It's interesting to consider the backdrop of that statement. When God said this to His people, the Jews, they were living as captives in Babylon. For them their world had ended, because they thought they had no future. They probably believed God had forgotten about them. So God reassured them of their future by saying, " '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.' "
I wonder if there are some of you today who think God has forgotten you. Perhaps you are facing difficulties. Take hope in the fact that despite the Jews' condition in Babylon, God still had a plan and a purpose for their lives. Israel was being disciplined for their disobedience. Not because God hated them, but because God loved them.
If you feel the Lord might be disciplining you right now, I want you to remember this: God says, " 'As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent' " (Revelation 3:19). So because the Lord loves you, because you are His child, He will do what is necessary in your life to make you the person He wants you to be. The next time you feel God has forgotten you, remember Jeremiah 29:11.
Copyright (c) 2004 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright (c) 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000.
