Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the better-known verses of the Bible. “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 hope and a future.” I personally think this verse best characterizes God’s promise for our lives. The funny thing is, I didn’t pay much attention to this verse until my freshman year of high school. One of my friend’s moms wore this verse on her sleeve. Everywhere she went, she sought to spread how powerful this promise was. Through her constant joy and overflowing love for everyone she came in contact with, I could tell that she truly believed in God’s plan for her own life, and also for the lives of others. 

 

Four months after I met this amazing woman, she passed away from pancreatic cancer. 

 

It seems almost cruel, doesn’t it? That a person who showed the utmost love and kindness to others, and who advanced God’s kingdom with every breath, would have their life cut short? The person who so strongly believed that God had a sovereign plan for her life was the one deprived of that glorious promise. 

 

But that’s just it. God knew the plan he had for her. It was just different than what most people would expect. She was told she only had a few months to live by her doctor, yet she lived another 3 years. Never ceasing to love on others, she created the “29:11 Challenge” where participants worked to complete 29 distinct acts of kindness over the course of 11 days. And she had hope. In the midst of a life-altering and terrifying disease, she was one of the most joyful and hope-filled people I have ever met. During her life, she impacted so many people as a doctor, through her disease, and because of her radiating love for Jesus. She changed many lives throughout the course of her short one. But God also gave her a future beyond her years, just like he promised. Because of the death of Jesus on a cross 2,000 years prior, she had a future in Heaven. She simply got to experience the best of God’s promises.... with God. With no more tears, no more pain, and no more suffering. 

 

I know many of you may still be skeptical about how I can have the certainty of God’s love and His plan through this story and also because of the current state of the world. And to be perfectly honest, I will say that these circumstances are most definitely testing my certainty. 

 

But they are strengthening my hope. The woman I spoke of dealt with fear. Crippling fear. And many of our lives are consumed by fear right now. But I have good news! God gives us the most powerful weapons against that fear- the promise of his love and HOPE! 

 

People often neglect the few verses following Jeremiah 29:11. But they are also incredibly important.  Jeremiah 29:12-14 promises that when ‘“you call on me and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,”’ declares the Lord.”

 

I have a task for you, my friends. During these next few weeks, in the dirt and darkness of your own lives, call on God. He listens to you. Seek Him and He will be found by you! He has a plan for you and for your future. That may not be the future you expected or asked for, but he has you in his hands. Have hope that the God who gave that woman a new life in Him for all eternity, whilst changing lives through her story, is ready to give you life. Have hope in a better tomorrow because you can call on the name of Jesus. Have hope in what you cannot see. Have hope. I dare you to. Take a leap of faith regardless of what you are going through.  Because God’s Got You!