June 12, 2025

This Week…Jeremiah 29:11

June 19, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

 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

This week, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we are continuing a mini-series on the subject of HOPE.  Our devotional writers have shared the Truth given us in this week’s passage reminding us that God’s plans give us ‘a future and a hope!’  Here are a few of their thoughts….

In Hope for Good, Ahmee wrote reminding us that God is good and only gives good….

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular Scriptures known to Christians…that and John 3:16.  Jeremiah 29:11 has been misquoted, misused, and misunderstood, as well.   Sometimes, we like to take Scripture and toss it around, in a well-meaning (but incorrect) fashion.  What I like most about Jeremiah 29:11, though, is that it reminds you that God cares for you and all that you do.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God is on our side.

  • He does not harm us
  • He does no ill to us
  • He does not give us cancer
  • He does not cause accidents
  • He does not burn down houses

He does not do any of those things!  There is no burning down your house to give you a better house.  God doesn’t do wrong, bad things, or cause harm.  God, however, can make good come out of bad.  But He does not make bad happen so that good can happen.

❦

In God’s Declarations and Thoughts, Ann wrote about the importance of following God’s example in making declarations….

The Jeremiah 29:11 declaration which God made is so powerful.  This shows that declarations are a way of establishing things in our lives.  His declaration shows how He thinks of us, along with His will and His purpose for our lives.

Thou shall declare a thing and it shall be established.
Job 22:28

What is it you declare and think about your life…family…job…school, etc?  Be positive: declare and think that which will make your future bright.  God’s thoughts over us are of good…not of evil; and He declares the same.  As we think of ourselves, we, too, should not think that which is evil but only that which is good and declare it.

❦

In Hope in the Lord, Tina reminded us of Daniel’s example of holding to hope through intercessory prayer….

Daniel, who was one of those who were taken into exile in Babylon.

In the first year of his rule, I, Daniel, saw clearly from the books
the number of years given by the word of the Lord
to the prophet Jeremiah, in which the making waste of Jerusalem
was to be complete, that is, seventy years.
Daniel 9:2 BBE

Daniel was a man after God’s own heart.  He immediately began praying, asking forgiveness of sins for himself and for those of God’s people.  Daniel was in reverent awe of God’s mercy, grace, and righteousness toward them.  Daniel’s prayer is an example of intercessory prayer.  We should all strive to do this, and most of us moms do pray and intercede regularly for our children and our family.  Our hope is in God’s mercy and forgiveness.  We have to be willing for God to use us where needed.  He will use our willingness to serve to give hope to those who have no hope.

Often, when we feel we are not worthy, that is when God will use us.  When we are empty of ourselves is when God can fill us with His hope and joy until it overflows and effects others around us.

❦

In The Big Picture, Cynda reminded us of the security our hope gives us because of the One in whom we trust and hope….

Job 11:18 ESV states “And you will feel secure, because there is hope; you will look around and take your rest in security.”  Hope gives us security.  There is no need to rush ahead, to solve the problem, or to  resolve the issue, without waiting for God’s instructions.  Because we have hope we can rest, secure in the knowledge that God has the perfect plan for us.  He sees the big picture and knows exactly what needs to happen and when.  His time frame, not ours.

When the Lord is our hope,

  • He becomes our Help and our Shield (Psalm 33:20)
  • He shows us mercy and love us steadfastly (Psalm 33:18)
  • He faithfully answers our prayers (Psalm 65:5) [just not always in the ways we think they should be answered]
  • He is our trust and confidence (Psalm 71:5)
  • We are blessed (Jeremiah 17:7)

The Lord is our hope.  We can have confidence that our future is secure in His hands.

Let all that I am wait quietly upon only God.
May I silently submit to Him,
for He is my hope.
Psalm 62:5

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Who I Am

June 19, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Another voice, another choice
To listen to words somebody said
Another day, I replay
One too many doubts inside my head

Am I strong…beautiful
Am I good enough
Do I belong
After all that I’ve said and done
Is it real when I feel
I don’t measure up
Am I loved

I’m running to the One who knows me
Who made every part of me in His hands
I’m holding to the One who holds me
‘Cause I know whose I am, I know who I am
I am sure I am Yours

Turning down, tuning out
Every single word
That caused me pain
Unashamed, and unafraid
‘Cause I believe You mean it when You say

I am strong…beautiful
I am good enough
I belong
After all
‘Cause of what You’ve done
This is real what I feel
No one made it up
I am loved

I am sure I am Yours
I know who I am
I am sure I am Yours

Fearfully, wonderfully, perfectly
You have made me

I’m running to the One who knows me
I’m holding to the One who holds me

Blanca
Written by Blanca Callahan / Seth Mosley / Mia Fieldes

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

I am sure I am Yours
And I know who I am

It’s quiet in my house sometimes…  Rare?  Yes, but it does happen.  In the early morning hours and late at night when everyone else who I share my home with is asleep. You would think that I would soak this quiet in…that I enjoy every second of it  (and there are times I do!)  but there are other times when the quiet is an opportunity for me to process my day, my week, and even my life.  I would love to say that this reflection is positive but more often than not it is filled with questions and doubts.

I think most women have played the words of this song through their minds and hearts…

Am I strong…?
Am I beautiful…?
Am I good enough…?
Do I belong…?
After all That I’ve said and done…?
Is it real…?
When I feel I don’t measure up…?
Am I loved…?

We talk to ourselves more than we talk to anyone else, and more than anyone else talks to us.  What are we saying?  Are we allowing doubts to cloud the image of ourselves?  Are we allowing the enemy to reinforce our insecurities?

In the rare quiet times I talked about before, I try to read.  I love reading and rarely have an opportunity to do so without being pulled in different directions.  One main theme in the books and articles I read is the importance of knowing who we are in Christ. Knowing how He sees us, and knowing who He created us to be.  Being reminded that we are fearfully and wonderfully made is like the light breaking through the clouds.  Knowing that the One who created us, Who formed each of us in the womb is still here, shaping us, and loving us, is like having a safe place to run to when the doubts try to creep in.  My goal for this week is to constantly combat those doubts with the words of this song.  I am going to intentionally run to the the One who holds me.

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Let’s Pray: Heavenly Father, the enemy has a way of getting to us through our thoughts and images of ourselves.  We question and wonder…we worry and doubt….  But You, Lord, are there with Your arms wide open, fully embracing us in those times and every other time.  Thank You for how You see us. I pray for each and every woman remember to run to Your arms when they feel less than who You created them to be.

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

The Big Picture

June 18, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

“For I know the plans I have for you” 
— this is the Lord’s declaration —
“plans for your welfare, not for disaster,
to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 HCSB

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

H. O. P. E. =  Holding On Praying Expectantly

So many times we’re in captivity or we’re having great problems; we think, “Oh, God has forgotten me.  He is not thinking of me anymore.”  Oh, that’s not so. God is thinking of you.

“But God is always looking down at the end of the road.  Our common mistake is that we are always looking for immediate advantage, immediate fulfillment.”

– Chuck Smith (click here to read entire commentary)

I cannot begin to count the number of times I have jumped into something considering only the immediate results instead of thinking about the long-term consequences.  I wanted the problem fixed NOW and knew just what to do.  How many blessings have I circumvented?  How many additional problems have I caused simply because I didn’t see the big picture? How much different might things have turned out if I had just held on to hope and continued to pray expectantly?

And you will feel secure, because there is hope;
you will look around and take your rest in security.
Job 11:18 ESV

Hope gives us security.  There is no need to rush ahead, to solve the problem, or to  resolve the issue, without waiting for God’s instructions.  Because we have hope we can rest, secure in the knowledge that God has the perfect plan for us.  He sees the big picture and knows exactly what needs to happen and when.  His time frame, not ours.

When the Lord is our hope,

  • He becomes our Help and our Shield (Psalm 33:20)
  • He shows us mercy and love us steadfastly (Psalm 33:18)
  • He faithfully answers our prayers (Psalm 65:5) [just not always in the ways we think they should be answered]
  • He is our trust and confidence (Psalm 71:5)
  • We are blessed (Jeremiah 17:7)

The Lord is our hope.  We can have confidence that our future is secure in His hands.  God is always thinking of us.  He has great blessings in store for us when we wait patiently and follow His lead.  He sees the big picture and has our future all mapped out accordingly, as long as we don’t rush ahead.  So my prayer today is:

Let all that I am wait quietly upon only God.
May I silently submit to Him,
for He is my hope.
Psalm 62:5

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Held In Your Hands

June 18, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Look up, another day before me
Look back, another day is gone
Should my heart begin to worry
Lift my eyes to find again the promise of Your love
Lift my eyes to find again that You will be enough

All our yesterdays and all of our tomorrows
Held in Your hands, held in Your hands
All we know to pray and all we’ve yet to face
Is held in Your hands, is held in Your hands

I know, Jesus, I can trust You
I know in all things You are good
I’m casting every care upon You
You knew my name, my every pain, before this breath was mine
You made a way, You overcame with love that outlives time

These hands that carried the Cross
Carry us now every moment, every hour
These hands that carried the Cross
Carry us now never failing, only good
Never failing, only good

Rush of Fools
writers: Kevin Huguley, Wesley Willis, Jason Ingram

*  ~  ♥  ~  ✞  ~  ♥  ~  *

Take a moment, would you, to listen to this song again.  And, while doing so, think of Jesus’ hands…. Think of how they would look to you…maybe you picture them in just one way—bleeding and oh-so-very painful as He carried the Cross. Or perhaps you picture a whole vignette of scenes featuring Jesus’ hands ministering over and over and over…. Here are a few instances that I recalled from the Scriptures:

Jesus holding out His hand to the woman caught in adultery (John 8)

This they said to try (test) Him, hoping they might find a charge on which to accuse Him.
But Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger.
Verse 6

Jesus holding out His hand to Peter while walking on the sea (Matthew 14)

Instantly Jesus reached out His hand and caught and held him,
saying to him, O you of little faith, why did you doubt?
Verse 31

Jesus holding out His hand to the man healed of leprosy (Matthew 8)

Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.”
And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Verse 3

Jesus holding out His hand to heal the ear of the man in the garden of Gethsemane(Luke 22)

But Jesus answered and said, “Stop! No more of this.”
And He touched his ear and healed him.…
Verse 51

Jesus holding out His hands to Thomas (John 20)

Then He said to Thomas, Reach out your finger here, and see My hands;
and put out your hand and place [it] in My side.
Do not be faithless and incredulous, but [stop your unbelief and] believe!
Thomas answered Him, My Lord and my God!
Verses 27 and 28

Think about it, my friend—Jesus is holding out His hand at this very moment to you (and me, too!)  With the very same degree of compassion and love, He is reaching to you (and me, too!) and is willing and able to support, provide for, guide, and protect you (and me, too!)  In what area of your life, do you need to be held in His hand ?  

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

God’s Declarations and Thoughts

June 17, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo
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 Jeremiah 29:11 declaration which God made is so powerful.  This shows that declarations are a way of establishing things in our lives.  His declaration shows how He thinks of us, along with His will and His purpose for our lives.

Thou shall declare a thing and it shall be established.
Job 22:28

What is it you declare and think about your life…family…job…school, etc?
Be positive: declare and think that which will make your future bright.  God’s thoughts over us are of good…not of evil; and He declares the same.  As we think of ourselves, we, too, should not think that which is evil but only that which is good and declare it.  “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).  If we are filled with wrong thoughts then the declarations we speak will be of evil and destruction.

Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders You have done.
The things You planned for us no one can recount to You,
Were I to speak and tell of them, they will be too many to declare.
Psalm 40:5

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God.
How vast is the sum of them.
Psalm 139:17

David came to a point of realizing that in anything and in all things about his life was centered on God and that all things were being managed by God.  Let us also align our thoughts with the thoughts God has for us so that we may accomplish His will in our lives.

As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.
Isaiah 55: 9

Blessed be the Lord who has good thoughts for us and declares them.  May we  have good thoughts for ourselves, our family and friends and declare good over everything.  May we remember this lesson that we need to be thinking and declaring good things.

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Dear Lord, we thank You for the word that has come at the right time when we needed it most.  Your Word gives us life and teaches us new precepts every day.   Thank You for showing us how deep Your love is to a point of thinking and declaring good things (and not evil) over our lives.  King of glory, we worship You.  May we walk in that grace of thinking and declare good for ourselves, our families, friends and all that concerns us. For with our mouths we shall declare a thing and it shall be established to the glory of Your holy name.  Be exalted always, Jehovah.  In Jesus’ name, I pray.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Your Love Is Amazing (HalleluJAH)

June 17, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Your love is amazing
Steady and unchanging
Your love is a mountain
Firm beneath my feet

Your love is a mystery
How You gently lift me
When I am surrounded
Your love carries me

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Your love makes me sing
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah
Your love makes me sing

Your love is surprising
I can feel it rising
All the joy that’s growing
Deep inside of me

And every time I see You
All Your goodness shines through
And I can feel this God-song
Rising up in me

Maranatha Singers
Songwriters: Brenton Brown and Brian Doerksen

*   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Don’t you think this song is actually a prayer—a happy, joyous proclamation of God’s love?   How much our God must thoroughly enjoy hearing His precious possession—us!—sing out,   ♬ ♪ ♬ HalleluJAH!  Your love makes me sing!  ♬ ♪ ♬

And what incredible, awesome company we are in when we do sing out our ‘halleluJAH!’  In chapter 19 of the Book of Revelations, four separate times praises to God using the phrase ‘halleluJAH!’ is recorded.  Three times by ‘a great multitude’, and once by the ‘twenty-four elders and the four living creatures’ (who surround the Throne).  WOW!  This is company I want to be in; you, too?!!!

  • verse 1
    After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;
  • verse 3
    And a second time they said, “Hallelujah! Her smoke rises up forever and ever.”
  • verse 4
    And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who sits on the throne saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
  • verse 6
    Then I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns.”

This record in the Book of Revelations and a few in the Psalms are the only records that tell us of praise being given using the phrase ‘HalleluJAH!’  In doing a study on it, I found that it is used approximately  22 times in the Psalms.  Here are a few examples….

For great is His gracious love toward us and the LORD’s faithfulness is eternal.
Hallelujah!
117:2

Hallelujah! Give thanks to the LORD because He is good,
because His mercy endures forever.
106:1

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord. Hallelujah!
150:6

Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing to our God for praise is pleasant and lovely.
147:1

There are so very many things we have been blessed with for which we should give praise to our great God!

  • mercy
  • grace
  • salvation
  • eternal life
  • fellowship w/believers
  • sanctification
  • peace
  • His Word

But one of the greatest things that God does for us and gives us is His love.  As the songwriters expressed to Him,

“Your love is amazing…steady and unchanging;
Your love is a mountain firm beneath my feet;
Your love is a mystery—how You gently lift me when I am surrounded—
Your love carries me; Your love is surprising…”.

And truly, it is!!!  Below are some of the many verses in the Scriptures which tell us about our God’s love for us…for all mankind.

Who shall ever separate us from Christ’s love? Shall suffering and affliction and tribulation?
Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or hunger or destitution or peril or sword?
Even as it is written, For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long;
We are regarded and counted as sheep for the slaughter.
Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors
and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
For I am persuaded beyond doubt (am sure) that neither death nor life, nor angels
nor principalities, nor things impending and threatening nor things to come, nor powers,
Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all Creation
will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:35-39

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:16

This is how God showed His love among us:
He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him.
This is love: not that we loved God,
but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
1 John 4:9 and 10

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in His love.
God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them.
Verse 16

Because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise You.
Psalm 63:3

His love is…

steadfast
immeasureable
unconditional
immoveable
unchanging
amazing

Doesn’t it make you want to sing?

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~   ♥   ~   *

Dear Father, we thank You for Your love for us and the incredible ways You show it!  It is—You are!—amazing! HalleluJAH! We thank You and praise You…in Jesus’ name. Amen. ♥  

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Mediterranean Topping for Fish

June 16, 2015 by

Sometimes I think that I could be a pescatarian!  (A pescatarian is simply someone whose diet does not include meats or poultry but does include fish.)  Seafood and fish are just so much more to my liking lately than meat.  This eating lifestyle falls easily into our healthy but oh-so-yummy POV since it—for the most part—is high protein, low fat.  As with meat, it is important to purchase the highest quality fish that your budget can afford.

This recipe is really quick to put together!  And it is on the lighter side…making it a nice choice for the warmer summer months.  And, cooked on the stovetop…not the oven…will keep the kitchen (and the cook!) cooler.  We enjoyed this with tilapia fillets but it would be great with cod or flounder or sole…or even shrimp!  Enjoy!

Mediterranean Olive Topping for Fish

2015-06-02 18.21.38

ingredients

4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
1 small red onion, cut into half moons
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, thickly sliced
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
1 heaping tablespoon garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup pitted green olives with juice, halved
4 skinless tilapia filets (approximately 4 ounces each)
lemon pepper seasoning

directions

  • heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in large saute pan over medium-high heat
  • place onion pieces in pan and saute for 3 minutes or so, ‘til starting to soften
  • add mushrooms in a single layer and cook, without stirring, for about 5 minutes ‘til they begin to brown on one side
  • stir and make sure each is flipped over; cook about 5 minutes more ‘til other side is browned, too
  • add tomatoes (cut-side down) and heat for another 3-4 minutes
  • reduce heat and add garlic, stirring gently for just one minute
  • remove from heat; season w/lemon-pepper seasoning, and stir in green olives; remove to a separate bowl and keep warm
  • using the same pan, heat remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium heat
  • season the fish with sea salt & lemon pepper seasoning on both sides and place in the pan
  • cook for 3-4 minutes ‘til nicely browned, gently turn and cook another 2-3 minutes’ don’t overcook!  fish is done when white throughout…no longer transparent
  • remove to a serving platter and top with the vegetable mixture

♥    ♥    ♥    ♥    ♥

God loves you!  ♥  (Please don’t ever forget that!)

♥  coleen

Filed Under: At Home w/ GCH Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Hope for Good

June 16, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

“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 a hope and future.”
Jeremiah 29:11

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular Scriptures known to Christians…that and John 3:16.  Jeremiah 29:11 has been misquoted, misused, and misunderstood, as well.   Sometimes, we like to take Scripture and toss it around, in a well-meaning (but incorrect) fashion.  What I like most about Jeremiah 29:11, though, is that it reminds you that God cares for you and all that you do.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us that God is on our side.

  • He does not harm us
  • He does no ill to us
  • He does not give us cancer
  • He does not cause accidents
  • He does not burn down houses

He does not do any of those things!  There is no burning down your house to give you a better house.  God doesn’t do wrong, bad things, or cause harm.  God, however, can make good come out of bad.  But He does not make bad happen so that good can happen.

And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good?
No one is good except God alone.
Mark 10:18

The LORD is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does.
Psalm 145:13b

Knowing these proven truths, no matter what our circumstances look like or what our eyes can see or what our minds tells us, we can rest assured that God is for us and will never let us down.  Yes, the way things work out don’t often make sense to us, but God can see the big picture.  Hoping in the Lord Almighty is the best decision that can be made for one’s family and future.

We may “lose” things.  Things may not go our way, but this does not mean that God does not have a plan.  No, it simply means that our plan does not look like God’s plan.  It’s okay to let go of the steering wheel and take the passenger seat. You’d be amazed at the places you will go.  Following God is made a bit easier when your hope is in Him.

  *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Lord, help us to keep our hope in You.  Help us to see the hopeful future and plans You have for us.  Amen.

Filed Under: Seeking Him Daily Devotional Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Keep Making Me

June 16, 2015 by

psalmshymnsspiritualsongskjv

Make me broken
So I can be healed
‘Cause I’m so calloused
And now I can’t feel
I want to run to You
With heart wide open
Make me broken

Make me empty
So I can be filled
‘Cause I’m still holding
Onto my will
And I’m completed
When You are with me
Make me empty

‘Til You are my one desire
‘Til You are my one true love
‘Til You are my breath, my everything
Lord, please keep making me

Make me lonely
So I can be Yours
‘Til I want no one
More than You, Lord
‘Cause in the darkness
I know You will hold me
Make me lonely

Sidewalk Prophets
Writer(s): David Frey, Ben McDonald

   *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Watching the video, and listening to the song, I am struck with how real this is for me.  I have become calloused in some areas of my life as a way of protecting myself.  I want to feel God’s Presence in all areas of my life, but sometimes it gets busy, messy…and just hard.

God wants us to go to Him before we call a girlfriend or to someone else that we trust.  We can ask God to help us with anything that we are struggling with and He is faithful to answer when we ask.  He knows better what our request and underlying motives are, so He is much better to give an answer.

   *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Today, let this be our prayer to our God and Father in heaven.

Psalm 150

Praise the Lord.
Praise God in His Sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens.
Praise Him for His acts of power; praise Him for His surpassing greatness.
Praise Him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise Him with the harp and lyre,
Praise Him with timbrel and dancing, praise Him with the strings and pipe,
Praise Him with the clash of cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

In Jesus’ name, Amen!

 

Filed Under: Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Hope In The Lord

June 15, 2015 by

SeekingHimLogo

For this is what the Lord has said: When seventy years are ended for Babylon,
I will have pity on you and give effect to My good purpose for you,
causing you to come back to this place.
For I am conscious of My thoughts about you, says the Lord,
thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope at the end.
Jeremiah 29:10-11 BBE

Hope (here in this passage) refers to something to look forward to, or to anticipate, usually with pleasure.  God was telling His people of when they would go into exile; they would have a hope of coming home.

God did not want to send His people into exile.  He wanted them to listen to the warnings of Jeremiah before He punished His people.  The people just scoffed at Jeremiah, choosing to ignore God’s warnings.  Thinking, “Here is Jeremiah again; saying bad things are going to happen to us!”  Scripture tells us of Jeremiah’s frustration at being treated lightly by those listening.

Daniel, who was one of those who were taken into exile in Babylon.

In the first year of his rule, I, Daniel, saw clearly from the books the number of years
given by the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah,
in which the making waste of Jerusalem was to be complete, that is, seventy years.
Daniel 9:2 BBE

Daniel was a man after God’s own heart.  He immediately began praying, asking forgiveness of sins for himself and for those of God’s people.  Daniel was in reverent awe of God’s mercy, grace, and righteousness toward them.  Daniel’s prayer is an example of intercessory prayer.  We should all strive to do this, and most of us moms do pray and intercede regularly for our children and our family.  Our hope is in God’s mercy and forgiveness.  We have to be willing for God to use us where needed.  He will use our willingness to serve to give hope to those who have no hope.

Often, when we feel we are not worthy, that is when God will use us.  When we are empty of ourselves is when God can fill us with His hope and joy until it overflows and effects others around us.  When we are free of ourselves is when He can work mightily through us.

 *   ~   ♥   ~   ✞   ~  ♥   ~   *

Father, thank You for telling us of how You loved Your people so much that You would send them to exile in a foreign nation…only to bring a remnant back to rebuild Your holy city.  You have shown the great hope you have for Your people and how You continue to give us opportunities to shine and be a light for You. Forgive us for being prideful and thinking we can do everything ourselves without Your help. You are our Strength, our Shield, and our Hope in this crazy, mixed-up world.  Thank You for Your love is all things.  In Jesus’ name, amen!

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