For days I’ve been contemplating what to write for today’s blog. I knew what I wanted to say, but how to say it was not coming together. Sunday morning I sat down ready for another attempt and decided I needed to start in prayer. Even as I had a focus in mind, I wondered what God wanted me to say.
As I prayed, Jeremiah 29:11 immediately came to mind in a very loud and clear way…
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (NLT)
It was not a verse I was thinking of in relation to what I wanted to write. Yet, this is the verse God showed me…in a different way than I’d ever seen before.
I’ve always read this verse and thought “big picture”—God knows His plans for my life, where I’ll be, who I’ll be with, what I’ll be doing, etc.
That morning, the verse took on new meaning as a direct relationship between God and me. It read…
“For I know the plans I have for you [Laura], [to grow closer to Me as you learn to listen to Me and follow My direction]” says the Lord. “They are plans for good [I will fill the emptiness you feel] and not for disaster, to give you a future [I will show you more of Me] and a hope [you will know that when you call to Me, I am there.]”
It was a wonderful and powerful moment for me…a personal conversation with my Heavenly Father.
What did you think of chapter 2? Has there been a time in your life when you felt like you were being led toward something, but you weren’t sure if it was from God? Would the five questions have helped you to know?
For a little more reading on hearing God’s voice, here is a link to a blog posted by author Lysa TerKeurst on her Website: The Slightest Trickle.
What do you hope to remember from this chapter? Please share your thoughts by posting a comment.
God Bless,
Laura
I do think I have had times in my life when I should have applied the 5 questions. I believe He was leading me to do something but I applied my own set of questions and talked myself out of following in the direction I should have - due mostly to fear of failure. I know next time I think He is talking to me I will apply the 5 questions and if He is talking to me to say Yes. I plan to memorize Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me first and find me when you seek me with all your heart." I liked Lysa's comment following this verse on page 38 - Then respond by saying yes to Him and confidently walking in absolute dependence and glorious obedience. I hope I get experience this feeling!
ReplyDeleteI am always greatly encouraged by the inclusiveness of God’s love. At the end of chapter 2, Lysa mentions Romans 9:25-26: “Hosea put it well: I’ll call nobodies and make them somebodies: I’ll call the unloved and make them beloved. In the place where they out: You’re nobody!” they’re calling you ‘God’s living children.”
ReplyDeletePersonally for me, I find great comfort in these words because I realize that God loves me, not because of what I do, or how I look or how I behave or who my friends are, or what my background is, he loves me because it is within his character to love me. Those words keep on delivering my soul.
When I was growing up, I was brought up Jewish and went to school in a predominately Christian neighborhood. Ever since I can remember, I knew that I was the minority, and thus, felt like an outsider. Then to make matters worse, there was the “smart” kids group, which of course, I never was in. And then, there was the beautiful group, which I didn’t qualify for. As a child and then a teen, the perceived groups just grew, which I was excluded from, which ultimately caused me to wrestle with feeling unloved and unworthy.
And then I encountered Jesus, who gently called me and said, “I’ll call the nobodies and make them somebodies.”
So, when Lysa concludes chapter 2 by saying that God wants us to live in expectation of hearing from him, because “you are somebody!” “You are my chosen beloved!”…those words continue to make me jump up and down with praise toward him because he love me so much!