This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:10-13
Do you realize that the Good Father takes every circumstance into account as He plans your future? As a Believer, your destiny has already been decided: “In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2–3).
Too often we fret about finding the Good Father’s perfect will for our lives. To no one in Scripture did God lay out a step-by-step plan for their life. Hebrews 11:8 says of Abraham that “He went without knowing where he was going.” No five-year, ten-year, or even a lifetime plan for him! When the magi went in search of the Christ child, they did not have Google Maps or Waze to lead them. They simply followed the star—not knowing where it would lead, but nevertheless certain of what they would find at the end of their journey: “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.”
Even when David was anointed by Samuel, the shepherd boy had no indication of the path his life would take. He knew nothing of a meeting with the giant of Gath or of his headlong and even years-long rush to escape Saul’s angry determination to kill him. Following the Good Father is not akin to living a novel. There is no introduction, no intervening chapters, no ending neatly tied with a bow. It is necessary to constantly seek His wisdom, conversing with Him through prayer, giving God the time and opportunity to respond to our petitions and praise. It is developing a relationship with Him through the study of His Word.
Walking with Jehovah is not a “twelve-step” program, marching mindlessly forward with no direction. It is living in the light of His Word, loving Him completely, and listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit. There are those who would have you believe that a life of devotion to the Good Father involves no sacrifice, no pain. One need only read Hebrews chapter 11 to discover the fallacy in that: “Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Still others had trial of mockings and scourgings, yes, and of chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, were tempted, were slain with the sword. They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, tormented—of whom the world was not worthy. They wandered in deserts and mountains, in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:35b–38).
It sometimes behooves us to remember that “Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens” (James 1:17). Psalm 16:11 reminds us, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” Psalm 23 reveals that the Good Father is also a Good Shepherd. He leads us beside the still waters and into green pastures, and bids us partake of His bounty. We are not led to a specific spot on the bank to sip of the clear, cool waters, or to a lush spot beneath a tree to fill our hungry bellies. No, we simply follow Him and trust that He has our best interests at heart and will not lead us to brackish water or poisonous weeds.
According to Romans 8:28: “We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” Nothing can stop the Good Father from interceding on your behalf—not pain, not poverty, not your questions, nor your anger. God is big enough to handle that! He can simply turn your pain into power, purpose, and renewed passion for Him. He will never let you down. The Good Father understands every misstep you might have made (or will make) and is simply waiting for you to repent and return to Him.
From my first encounter with God as a child of eleven, I began to learn that God did, indeed, speak to me, and everything He said, no matter the delivery method, was of great importance. It was up to me to stay tuned to His wavelength. It was up to me, as it is with you, to turn off the television, the radio, the iPad, or any other device and listen! The appropriate response when God speaks—however that may be manifest—is, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
To hear God, you and I must listen with our entire being: mind, soul, and body. It is difficult to hear His voice over the cacophony that constantly surrounds us—traffic noise, television blaring, electronic devices beeping. Parents sleep with one ear tuned to the nursery, waiting for a babe’s cry in the night. As Believers, we must walk with our ears totally tuned to the Father so that we can hear that still, small voice that calls to us above the frenzied crowds. What, then, do you think God might wish to say to us once He has our attention? Perhaps, as He did me, He would call you “son” or “daughter.” He might tell you that He had been waiting for you as the earthly father did for the Prodigal Son or searching for you as the good shepherd searched for the lost sheep. Our Lord might possibly warn you that there is danger ahead and you need to change direction.
John, the Beloved, wrote in his Gospel chapter 3, verses 16–17: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Our loving heavenly Father desires that you and I know we can be overcomers through Him; that if we follow in His footsteps, He will lead us in the way we are to go. Then He will whisper, “Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).
That great orator and preacher Charles Spurgeon said: “Having once discerned the voice of God, obey without question. If you have to stand alone and nobody will befriend you, stand alone.” God calls the humble and obedient to fulfill His mission. His power is made perfect in our weakness. Only with the realization that you can do nothing without Jehovah are you then ready to be used by Him. Only then will you be able to fulfill the Good Father’s wonderful plan for your future.