This has always been one of my very fave Old Testament Scriptures from that major prophet known as "the weeping prophet" and who has the most words (highest word count) in the book he was inspired by God to write. (Jeremiah)
One reason I love this Scripture is because once we know God as our Father, Savior, Redeemer...whatever adjective you connect with....we can begin to trust Him. We can have confidence in the plans He has for us:
Not only can we have confidence in the plans He has for us, but we can have confidence in our future. Of course He doesn't typically reveal the future to us, anymore than a psychic can reveal the future to us. But with a psychic, one pays money to have their palm read or whatever they do (I've never gone as I believe it's a form of witchcraft and being a Christ follower I refuse to open up my soul to that), and they are almost always wrong. No human can predict the future accurately! Only God knows our futures....and knowing God's will for us, is free!!
Sometimes He reveals something to us in preparation for our future, though. I have many example of this.
For instance, in the summer of 1977, when I was 17 and about to enter my senior year of high school, I was dating a boy named David who was 2 years younger than me. He was my sister Joy's age and we were all in youth group together. I was practicing piano in the sanctuary of our little Free Methodist church in the central part of NYS, and David was doing homework or something. I remember I was working on my college audition music. David had left to go to his house for something...he literally lived a half block from the church and the church was on the edge of the town park so we always cut through the park to his porch. I was alone in the sanctuary.....a relatively new Christian as I had given my heart to Jesus the summer of 1975 at age 15. But some major crap happened just 4 days after I became a Christian (I won't go into it here) and let's just say I was holding God at arm's length. I loved Jesus and totally embraced Him as my Savior Redeemer. But seeing God as Father and not judge was a whole lot more difficult for me at that time in my life.
Anyways, I was alone in the sanctuary with the ceiling fans on and all of a sudden I heard this still small Voice....it wasn't an audible Voice.....rather, it was a fleeting thought that said "you're going to marry a man named David".
Now, blogging friends, let me tell you: I had no desire to be married any time soon. I was only 17, was going to an awesome Christian college the next year and hopefully would be a piano major/Music Ed major if I passed my audition. I had plans! NO WAY did I want to get married before I was 30. No way. I kind of laughed and thought, "well the current David is practically like a brother to me, and there's no way I am going to marry him". Funny thing is, my very first boyfriend in 8th grade (my parents would only let me group date when I was 14) was named David. No way would I have wanted to marry him either.
So....the weird fleeting words I "heard" in my spirit just sorta floated right by me. But I did tell an older friend of mine named Carol and she, being an older Christian and someone I really admired, told me if it was really God, then it would come to pass.
I never really thought about it again. I dated a guy named Javier on and off my first year of college. My 2nd year of college I had a couple of dates with a guy named Steve and another guy named Brian. They were both older music majors and super nice guys but just for casual dating. In my junior year until half-way through my last year of college, I dated a guy named Steven. Again, just casual boyfriend...we knew we weren't serious.
Fast forward to 1988 and I meet a wonderful young man, a grad student, in a city church I was attending. I had finished grad school, was settled in the Albany, NY area and teaching full time as a Master teacher of special needs prek children in inner city Albany. I loved life. Spiritually, I was growing a bit by attending a very good small group and getting to know other single people in that church. The grad student I met?? Dave. My now husband.
We got engaged in 1989 and I remembered what God said. I told Dave. He said it was definitely God preparing me for the future.
The cool thing? I always wondered if I would actually get married. As a childhood sexual abuse survivor I didn't think I "deserved" marriage (those feelings are a whole other, deeper topic I won't go into here right now).
But God knew. God knew who I was going to marry before I even desired it.
The confidence I gained from knowing God did indeed have a plan for me is what helped me get through my lonely late 20s.
How old was I when I got married? Six months into being 30 years old. God even gave me the desire of my heart.
What are you trying to trust God with?
Give it to Him in prayer and know you can have the confidence to trust Him with your future.
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