We see in Israel’s history that the Israelites were very reluctant to understand God’s will for them and were depending on their intelligence and on false prophets. This was one of the main reasons for their failure. Many of the present believers are also not different from them. Almighty God allowed king Nebuchadnezzar to capture Jerusalem and take the vessels of the temple, king and many elders, priest and prophets as slaves to Babylon. God warned them many times but they did not listen to God and finally the calamity happened. God still showed His love towards them and advised them through prophet Jeremiah to remain in Babylon for 70 years. He also promised them that He will bring them back after 70 years. But the Jews were not ready to believe it because their false prophets and human understanding was teaching the opposite thing.
In this context God told them in Jeremiah 29:11-14 “’For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.’ 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 search for Me with all your heart. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.'”
God has a very specific plan for each child of God. He prepared the plan by knowing us and He assures that it is “for our welfare and not for calamity to give us a future and a hope” (V11). Our God knows everything –past, present and future- and knows us very well. He loves us and does everything for our good. So the best plan we can have is God’s plan for us. When we have this realization and faith in God we will call and pray to Him. God also assures us that He will listen to our call and prayer. “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you”. (V12). God always hears a prayer that is prayed with faith in HimWhen we are in the will of God we will be seeking God. We will want to know Him more and more. Here in V13 God promises that when we seek Him whole heartedly He will make sure that we will find Him.V13 ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.’ I will be found by you’. This is a great encouragement for any true believer.
We make so many mistakes even after becoming true believers because we do not live in the center of Gods will always. We need to believe every day of our life that His plan is the best for us under all circumstances (both for the present and future). When we start doing this consistently we can see an ocean change in our life, fasting prayers, regular services, and praise and worship times.To know the will of God we have to transform by renewing our mind and not be conformed to the world. Rom 12:2 “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Many believers are satisfied with a life of loving the world and loving God. This is a great deception. See what God says in 1 John 2:15-17 “Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 17 The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.” When we keep even a little love for the world in our heart; that will nullify all our love for God. Also see the great warning God gives about the love towards world in James 4:4 “You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God”.
So the safest place to stay is in the center of God’s will for us. We have to make sure always that we are doing things as per the will of God so that our treasure in heaven will be great. This is what God is evaluating in our life. Finally when we stand in front of God we will hear Him saying “well done, good and faithful slave”.
Let us remain humble all the time so that God can help all of us to be in the center of His will.
