Isn't this amazing that since God formed our inner being, He had PLANS for us: good plans...plans to prosper us, give us HOPE & a future?
A future with HIM!!!
But He also gave us free will & the choice all throughout our lives to follow, listen to His voice, and obey in ALL our ways according to His plan.
How often I had my own plans, made many mistakes which created thoses MESSES
(in my Blog Title - Amazing Grace: Mazes, Messes, Miracles)
Had my mazes not led me back to Him & His aMazing Grace & Miracles,
I might have continued following my plans, or the plans of the enemy toward destruction - you know the ones that you have allowed yourself to be robbed from or definitely have destroyed your path of Our Father's PLAN
"to prosper us"
"to give us HOPE"
"to give us a FUTURE"
This isn't a dead end
when we make Jesus, our friend!
So what has God, Our Heavenly Father planned for you?
Have you asked Him to open the way, show you the path & plan He has
UNIQUELY
made for you?
Read the 21 lines thus far (in red above) from The Father's Love Letter -FLL
now ADD today's.
After reading the FLL devotional for this verse, it was clear that I could have written about the times that we are facing in this world that seem HOPELESS & very discouraging. I easily can recall years when I wrestled with this hopeless feeling and thought that perhaps I should share about how my world spiraled downward from a seemingly hope filled life to many discouragements piled upon by more discouragement of circumstances that catapulted into a "snowball" of too much for me, which lead to my depresssion time. Too many losses all at once and I just did not have any idea how to cope and move forward. I was wrongly allowing my emotions to overwhelm me but kept on until I finally collapsed with a clinical depression. Up until then I thought that the years between my mother's death to the year of my brother's death that I was doing well, but I had been stuffing. During this time, I went from transitions in jobs, to job loss, rape in my home, deteriation of my marriage more and more each year at a time when we needed each other more, we were moving apart instead of together. I changed from one church that I had already made a transition to being a part of for about 10 years and loved to a church that I knew God had led me to for our adopted children and me, hopefully...one day, my husband, their adopted father (who is their great uncle as well) would make his church. It has not happened yet! But I PRAY & believe. This church helped raise & educate our two in the LORD. Seeds were planted & in this I have HOPE!
So instead of focusing on the HOPELESSNESS of these moments, where I allowed my feelings to dictate my faith and the facts, I will let you know that there is HOPE.
I would much prefer telling you that I cling to this HOPE rather than live in any hopeless despair. My HOPE is in Christ Jesus, in God, Our Father and the Holy Spirit. For I trust like never before in Our Father & His Word that I have come to better know & understand. I know that Our Father loves us and watches over us because I have clearly seen this in my life. I have seen that He has`plans to prosper and restore that which was stolen by the enemy. I have seen Our Father does not have plans to harm me rather to protect me from harm and He has constantly. Though I do not know what the future holds, I know who holds my future. Now I wait to see that He holds the future of my husband and our adopted children and their children, believing & trusting Him & His Word as I pray. Many would see my life that has passed through many periods of depression and heartache, a rollercoaster of emotions as being HOPELESS. Yet if they knew me, or better yet if they knew the Savior of my life & soul and how He has given me HOPE, they may understand that no matter what the circumstance, I will have an incredible future filled with HOPE and each of us can trust in the goodness of God to care for us in the midst of situtions that seem hopeless.
Your question without knowing me or my full life story may be but how did you get out of this pit of despair, this sense of hopelessness?
My most simple answer is: JESUS! Oh, yes, I am sure that I followed as many courses of actions that this world had to offer; counseling, psychologists, medications, Christian outpatient, etc. but "JESUS CAME TO MY RESCUE" through much PRAYER & warfare (learning how to pray God's Word & do spiritual warfare was crucial to overcome) & by deepening of my faith walk & relationship with my Lord Jesus through the Counsel of His Holy Spirit. I began a course of study with a Christian Counseling Training Center for Crisis Phone counseling & soon was given the opportunity to volunteer as a crisis phone counselor, than director of a center, than teacher of some components to others & found that the more I gave, the more God was giving and healing me. It never was instant but piece by piece, God was doing a new work in me and still is. "You mean you're not healed?' It wasn't an instant healing though I believe God could do that for me or others but it was/is a process of healing. He knows exactly how much one can take and as you are ready, He heals that area. You see, God has a plan ... You are part of His plan as I am and He wants to use what He does in you & me to help others to know Him & see His goodness, His HOPE...His LOVE...for your FAITH to grow. Faith is HOPE in things not yet seen! I have plenty of that! Each day, I am seeing more. I rejoice anytime I see a glimmer of HOPE.
The night I arrived to the Twin Cities, actually Minneapolis, still about an hour from my home,
there was a special event, which God allowed me to arrive just in time for & prepared each part from the parking to my ticket being the very best for "A Night of HOPE". If you have the opportunity to attend, I encourage you to do so! It was as if God supernaturally arranged this for my homecoming and you'll never know how much I needed this. I truly need all the HOPE I can get each day. There is a constant battle in my life, but Jesus is giving me the knowledge, & equipping me with the tools necessary to not just endure, or survive but to thrive triumphantly no matter what the enemy may throw in my path, I must remain strong in the LORD. It is not my might, nor by power but by His Spirit. And He is showing me the way, His way. He constantly bulids my HOPE & this night was just another beginning to celebrate & rejoice in that HOPE! I am so thankful for the encouragement I received that night & confirmation of all God speaks through His Word to me...and to YOU
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD,
"plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope
and a future."
He is the Rock! The Rock of all ages. He is solid & a firm foundation, a cornerstone in which to build our future day by day to an eternity of HOPE. Have you placed your life & commited each day to surrender to Jesus to lead and guide you to an everlasting HOPE?
Each one of us can pray the prayer from FLL or ask Jesus to be a part of your future:
The purpose of Word filled Wednesday is to share God’s word (no famous quotes or other literature — only the beautiful word of our Father) through photo’s & a Bible verse! Our hosts alternate weeks so...
