Hope-Full Future - Karen Pourbabaee
“For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe!, plans to give you a future full of hope.” Jeremiah 29:11 NAB
God has said it; we should believe it! He has plans for our welfare, meaning plans for our well-being, benefit, goodness, happiness, and health; these are all facets of God’s plans for our welfare. Our Loving Father holds the blueprint for our future full of hope; it is destined to happen. Even in the midst of woe. In anguish, In affliction. In anxiety. In depression. In distress. In suffering. In sorrow. In trials. In tribulation. In trouble. Are you in any of these places of woe? Woes are the stepping stones to a hope-full future. Woes bring us closer to our wonderful Lord. Let us not despise the woes of God, for they are part of the plan, too.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he outlines the steps to that hope-full future that God already knows. “…we even boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope.” (Romans 5:3-4) Out of the depths of affliction or suffering, we have the option to endure. We can persevere in the carrying of our crosses when we call upon Him: “I have the strength for everything through Him who empowers me. “ (Phil. 4:13) He walks with us as we endure; we are not alone. As we lay down our cross, we arise in the victory of proven character--moral strength, integrity, and honor.
Through the stages of suffering, endurance, and, proven character, we can attain hope, God’s plan all along. And what is Paul’s conclusion? “hope does not disappoint.” (Romans 5:5) We can trust His plan. Amen.
Contact Karen and read more HERE.
