Today in my quiet time I read through Jer chapters 24-29. I came once again to the beautiful verse in Jer 29:11. How precious that verse must have been to the ears of Jeremiah. But, the question lies before us...was it just for the Judahites and Jeremiah or does it apply to me as well? To answer that question one needs to seek to determine if there is a spiritual principle hiding that must be extracted. I believe that no matter what was written whether in the OT or the NT, there is a basic underlying principle that will guide us through the maze of life. Today it is this: The past, present and the future is determined by God and more importantly in His wisdom He has planned that which will benefit me! He told Jeremiah: I have plans to prosper you, not to harm you and that principle applies to me as well. So then, I can then trust that all that has come my way has been filtered through His fingers and it is for my good for that His ultimate purpose be fulfilled. Often when things occur that seem to be less than satisfactory by human reflection, we find ourselves saying "why" when in essence we ought to be saying, what is the lesson I am to learn from this? What is God's purpose for me in this time? How can I apply what I am experiencing to someone else's life so that this time is not wasted. Let me give you an example from my own life to make it clearer. Up until a year ago I was less than affected by what it meant to be a shut-in. However, when my Mother became incapacitated and was no longer able to attend church that became a reality for me and my sister (bless my sister in all of that time..amazing). We found out real fast that when someone is a shut-in, they are essentially abandoned by much of society. My dearest Mother who had been an active member of her church became a "not seen, not heard, not thought of" with the exception of the precious ladies in her SS class. The Pastor never called, never sent a card, never visited. The Deacons of the church never visited, never called but did send one card. The reality hit home, Mother had been abandoned by those to whom she had at one time ministered. Fast forward to today, I saw it again recently when I attended a Sr. Picnic at my former church. A lady sat in her wheelchair and no one ministered to her needs. So....how has God used those experiences? I find that I take time to minister to those who are in wheelchairs at each church we visit (we are now visiting many for bible.org) and I find that now I take the time to "sit a spell" and minister to them, if nothing else but to listen to them, to give them attention. My heart has been turned from a quick hello to time spent beside them. So God used a difficult time to teach me a lesson that I can now use for His work, for the benefit of another. It has opened my eyes to a new ministry. Would I have learned it another way? Perhaps, but God's ways are not my ways. Isa 55:8-9
Take time today and minister to someone less fortunate. You will receive a blessing and you will see God's plans for you unfolding.
