Hope for the Future

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:11-13)

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most quoted verses in the Bible. In this passage, Jeremiah is writing on behalf of the LORD to the people of God who were exiles in Babylon. The people had lost their home, their freedom, and their identity as their own nation. They had lost their hope.

In these verses, God speaks to his people through Jeremiah, offering them hope for their future. Though things looked bleak, God had not forsaken his people.

Although today we find ourselves in different situations, so many of us can relate to those feelings of hopelessness. Sometimes we may feel overwhelmed when looking ahead at the days, months, and years to come. At the beginning of a new year with new goals, we may grow discouraged when things don’t play out the way we planned.

Even so, in the same way that God had good plans for the future of his people in the days of Jeremiah, God has good plans for the future of his people today. God offers us hope for the future no matter what our days may hold. It may be a long road and we may not always understand, but we can trust that God works all things for the good of those who love him (Rom. 8:28).

As we step into the New Year, let us go forward with hope for the future, trusting that God’s plans are for our welfare and not for our harm.