Jeremiah 29:11

Quite a few years ago when I first went to Korea, I was in a short-lived bible study with some friends. We took turns leading and for me (when it was my turn to lead!) it was disastrous! But one day one of the girls in the study, Sarah Carpenter, read us a bible verse (I wish I had copied!) that she had put into her own words. I imagined that God was sitting across from her taking each part if the verse and explaining each nuance to her-what the word meant in its original Greek or Hebrew.

So here I am quite a few years later, struggling to see what exactly God means when He is speaking to me. I think that's a life-long quest. Anyhow, I'm at a cross roads in my life. Doing what I've always done may not be an option next year. I could lose my job. I'm scared. I had dinner with my good friend Sasha last week and she gave me a list of Satan’s lies and the scriptures that defeat those lies. Her parting command as we left dinner that evening was "Read these verses every day, Jenny Cooper!" So I have been.

And I still don't get them--not fully. So today, I sat rereading Jeremiah 29:11 and I told God over and over again, "I just don't get it!". Suddenly I remembered Sarah writing the verse so many years ago, so I grabbed my new bible and got to work. I looked at each word and looked up almost every word. Some words (though I don't know why I'm shocked) change slightly-or significantly-depending on its part of speech. So I looked and prayed and came up with this:

Jeremiah 29:11 (in words I get):
'For I know your heart entirely and discern the cunning and curious works I have woven for you,' proclaims the Lord. 'Plans for welfare, good fortune, and to flourish, and not for calamity, inherent evil, failure or misery, to give you a future, an end, & a hope and expectation.'

The first part was the hardest for me to figure out and get. It seems like it might not be that hard. But it was! This verse stats out with a lot of power: 'I KNOW' Wow. I have always looked at this as more informational--I know what time I wake up, I know what I need at the store… I looked up the word know in the Hebrew translation and it had what you might expect-discern, perceive, confess, etc. But at the very bottom it said that this word is usually used to express how God "knows your heart entirely" or to know relationally. Hmmm...

OK, so not only does God know... But He knows my heart so entirely that only HE can know the perfect plan for my life-but not just a plan, a cunning plan that He has for me-but not just has for me but that He has fabricated and woven for me. With purpose, design and function in mind. God doesn't make mistakes.

And this plan He has for me?! Well, it's a good plan. A plan of welfare, good fortune, and to flourish. Good as in the sense that only God is truly good. That kind of good. Now I'm not spouting Joel Ostein theology here-don't make that mistake! But I'm thinking the theology that says, "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28). The best kind of good.

Not plans that end in calamity, misery, failure or (here it comes...) FEAR! Those are ALL tools of Satan. In Gods goodness, Satan cannot abide. John chapter 15 speaks very clearly about who can and will abide in Him. Nowhere do you see calamity, misery, failure or fear. Jesus said it best--as he always does!--

5"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

To me, the last eight words of that verse would be calamity, misery, failure and fear. But abiding in Him=welfare, good fortune and to flourish.

And finally, a future--and end--and hope and expectation. The end result is a future filled with hope and expectation. Hope and faith are two totally different things--in fact, Sasha is the one who posed that question to me at dinner… and I still don’t have my mind wrapped around that one! But to live life knowing that my end--my future!--is filled with hope and expectation… that is awe-inspiring. Jesus is my hope, my expectation, my future… my end.

I don’t know where I am heading next--I am very hopeful I will still be teaching at East Elementary School. BUT, if that isn’t God’s plan… well then… I don’t want to be like the Israelites--sitting outside the promise land thinking, “This looks pretty good. I think I want to stay here…” I want to be like Caleb and Joshua and say, “Let’s go! We can do it--God’s promised it!” I want to live in the land of milk and honey…. and live in worship of my Hope, my Future, my End.