Recently I read an idea where you are challenged to read the same passage of Scripture each day for a week. I like to change things up in my Daily Time with the Lord every now and then, so I thought I would do this and see how it goes.
After praying, I felt led to settle this week on a familiar passage... Jeremiah 29:11-14
Here are some of the things I learned along the way this week....
10/18/10
The first line of this passage starts out "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord."
I like to know "the plan." It is a real hang-up with me and yet I rarely do know God's plan! But I realized as I read this that it is Okay. I may not know the plan He has for me, but He does and I am to trust Him fully knowing that His plans are always perfect and always the best thing for us.
10/19/10
This passage was written to Israel and God tells them He sent them into exile -- into captivity with Babylon because they had lost sight of Him. And He promises in verse 14 that He "will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
God carried them there -- He did not send them alone. He went with them -- carried them.
I am reminded of when a child is small and is sent to his/her room or the corner of some such place to sit because they are misbehaving and cannot be allowed to play until they settle down. Often I had to physically pick my child up and take him/her to the place of "exile" and even though it might have seemed like I wasn't with them, I was. I did not leave the hour or leave them all alone. Often I was in the room waiting for him/her to settle down. It may have seemed mean to them, but I placed them their for their own good -- to teach them proper behavior-- to protect them from my "wrath" -- to give them a safe place and time to right themselves -- to refocus and get calm.
I think this is what God does. He carries me into exile - a spiritual time out - where I might feel dry and alone, but He is right there with me - teaching me -- giving me an opportunity to avoid His "wrath" -- letting me refocus and quiet myself and when I do I will seek Him with all my heart and He will be found by me. (v. 13)
10/20/10
Back to the beginning words.. "I know the plans I have for you" (v. 11) -- "for YOU" That's the thing that hit me this day.. He has plans for me. It isn't about me figuring out what to do or making a plan, it's about me surrendering to His plan for me.
There is a verse in the Psalms which essentially says Man makes plans but God directs His steps.
Throughout the Word we see that we are not here by accident -- God picked this time and place and He has a plan for us and for our lives. (See Eph 2:10. Ps. 139, Acts 17:26)
It's time to turn loose of my plans and seek after His!
10/21/10
Not sure I learned anything new this day... it was a bit more like being a lab and testing what I had learned! I am living in the midst of a trial... not that unusual for a Believer. Things escalated on this day. I felt the enemy pressing down... doing His best to pull me into despair, dread and doubt. As I was dealing with this.. struggling... I thought of the words of this passage -- again reminded that if I am in exile, God carried me there and is with me and He promises He will bring me back from captivity, BUT it is conditional. He will do this when I seek Hum with all my heart. I chose that day to stand with shaky legs on the promise that He Knows the plan and it is a plan for me and it will give me a Hope and a Future!
10/22/10
"You will see me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (v. 13)
All means ALL -- total -- complete -- Every bit of my heart!
Ps. 86:11 "Teach me Your way, Lord, and I will walk in Your truth; give me an undivided heart that I may fear Your name."
Eze. 11:19 "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them, I will remove from them their heart of stone and give the a heart of flesh."
If I want to find God - to truly know Him - I have to set my heart fully - squarely -- on Him and seek after Him with ALL my heart - an undivided Heart... and I get that heart from Him!
So He equips me to have all I need to seek after Him with all my heart because He wants to be found by me!
I enjoyed focusing on one passage a bit each day. Plan on continuing this type of meditation for a bit.
