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The people of God were in trouble. Because of their continued disobedience, God allowed King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to attack Jerusalem in 606 B.C. and take many of the people into captivity. It was also during this time, God instructed Jeremiah, His prophet, to write a letter to the slaves in Babylon. Here's what he basically told them, "You're going to be here for awhile—so you better get used to it. In the meantime, go ahead and build homes, plant gardens; get married; have kids, because you're going to be in Babylon for 70 years."

Sounds pretty depressing, doesn't it? But here's the good news - even in captivity God did not forget His people. He had a new beginning and purpose for them. Although life did not change overnight for the people of Israel, it did help them to know that God was still in control, and that He had a plan for their lives.

Corrie Ten Boom said, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."

Corrie ten Boom has long been honored as an incredible example of Christian faith in action. Arrested by the Nazis along with the rest of her family for hiding Jews in their Haarlem home during the Holocaust, Corrie was imprisoned and eventually sent to the Ravensbruck concentration camp along with her beloved sister, Betsie, who died there just days before Corrie's own release on December 31,1944. Afterwards Corrie learned she had been released by mistake. A week after her release all the women of her age in the camp were killed. Inspired by Betsie's example of selfless love and forgiveness amid extreme cruelty and persecution, Corrie established a post-war home for other camp survivors trying to recover from the horrors they had escaped. She went on to travel widely as a missionary, preaching God's forgiveness and the need for reconciliation. Corrie's devout moral principles were tested when, by chance, she came face to face with one of her former tormentors in 1947 – only 3 short years after her release. The former guard told Corrie, "I have become a Christian. I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did there, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, ..." his hand came out, ... "will you forgive me?" "I forgive you, brother!" Corrie cried. "With all my heart!"

I am moved to tears in reading Corrie's story. I wonder, how can someone have this kind of love, this kind of hope and yet Corrie gives us the answer. God is all-knowing and we can trust Him.

Jeremiah 29:11b says, "Plans to prosper you…" When translated here, the word prosper could actually be peace; it is the Hebrew word shalom. Unfortunately, in the materialistic society we live in, we are more attracted to prosperity than peace.

"not to harm you…" This literally means to keep you from evil.

"to give you hope..." This literally means an expectation. The Hebrew word visualizes hope as a cord attached to something. In other words, "you have something to hold onto," and for the believer that is true.
"to give you hope and a future..." God wants the Israelites to know that in His eyes they have a future. His plan for us is that we stay in His will—His good, pleasing and perfect will.

God has a good plan for your life – it's just waiting to be discovered and followed. There are two keys in doing that, and the first is… patience. Usually the problem is not discerning God's will for your life, it is being patient and waiting on His timetable as He unfolds it. We want Him to reveal it right now. We want to discover it today and know how the next twenty years of our lives will unfold, but hurry is not conducive to our hearing the voice of God.

I've been dealing with this head-on lately. I've got so many unanswered questions. I've prayed and all God has told me to do is to wait. Not the answer I was hoping for. But because I trust Him, I will wait patiently and expectantly.

Obedience - It's one thing to know God's will for your life, but it is something completely different to submit to His plan and obey it. Obedience flies in the face of our own self-will and intellect. The Bible is where we must look for the answers.

You have the freedom in Christ to follow His direction and will for your life. There will be times of uncertainty and even some wrong turns along the way. But there is no greater joy than knowing you are walking in His will, and moving in the direction that He has called you to!

And as Corrie says, "Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God."

"Word from Scotland" from Sandy Shaw

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