Plans to Prosper You . . .

SCRIPTURE
Jeremiah 29:11-14 "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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and 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, "and will bring you back from captivity."

OBSERVATION
Of course, everyone loves Jeremiah 29:11. We claim it because we all want to prosper and have hope and a future and not be harmed. However, we sometimes fail to continue on, to Jeremiah 12 and beyond. This is a conditional promise. We, first, must seek Him with all of our heart. We must call upon Him and pray to Him and He will listen to us. God promises that when we seek Him with all of our heart, He will be found, and He will bring us back.

When we step out of line of God's will for us; when we are knowingly disobedient, how can we expect God to prosper us? He is a loving Father who wants the very best for us. Sometimes the things we desire are not the very best for us. Sometimes the paths we choose, without first seeking His direction, are not the paths He would choose for us. There is a definite order to be learned here. "Call upon me", "come and pray to me", "I will listen to you", and "I will be found by you", and "I will bring you back".

APPLICATION
I'm going to memorize these verses in a different order, starting with verse 13 and 14, then proceeding to verse 11. Because I don't ever want to take God's promise for granted if I am living outside of his will or making decisions without first consulting Him. Now, when I need the comfort of Jeremiah 29:11, I will first ask myself if I'm living up to my end.

PRAYER
Lord above, thank you for the reminder to seek You; to call out to You; and to do it with all of my heart. Thank you for always having my best interest at heart. Let me not ever forget to make all choices that would line up with Your will for my life and the lives of my family. Amen.