Scripture of the Day
"'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to give you hope and a future.'" -- Jeremiah 29:11
Reflection
We can't live without hope. It is not an optional feature of a well-functioning human life -- it is a necessity as basic as air. Without hope, there is no desire for a better tomorrow, no energy to keep going when the present is hard. We are, as one observer put it, wired to hope.
This is why people say things like, "I hope to be healed," or "I hope my family will come back together," or "I hope things will be different." Whether they know it or not, they are reaching for something beyond themselves -- something the world can offer only in small doses and temporary forms. God, who made us for hope, offers it in its fullest and most enduring form.
The prophet Jeremiah delivered God's words to a people in exile -- people who had lost their land, their temple, and their future as they had known it. Into that darkness, God spoke: I know the plans I have for you. Plans for hope. Plans for a future. Not plans for a comfortable life without difficulty, but plans that will not ultimately fail.
That promise still stands. And it is the foundation of everything else.
Question for Personal Reflection
What are you hoping for right now? Have you brought that hope before God specifically?
Action Step
Write down your deepest current hope and spend a few minutes placing it in God's hands today.
Prayer
Lord, you made us for hope. Remind us today that our hope has a foundation that cannot be shaken -- your plans for us are good. Amen.
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