11 I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. 12 When you call me and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. 13 When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me.
Reflection
There are many different names for this section of text, but in the Common English Bible seen here, it is called “Disturbing Hope.” That seems fitting. Any hope that can be mustered up during a time of such chaos has a certain sense of disturbance. In a rather short amount of time we’ve gone from hoping that a big wedding goes smoothly, or that we’ll get a promotion, or that our kid makes the soccer team, to hoping that that cough was just dust, that we can hug our friends again, that we’ll hear our voices singing in the same space as others again.
It’s kind of disturbing.
It can be difficult to imagine God leading us toward peace when we look around us. Our world is far from peaceful. This text is so beautiful and paints a picture of God calling on us to participate in this plan for hope and peace. As we journey towards a better world, we pray to God and God listens. We search for God amidst turmoil and God can always be found.
Sometimes it’s not as easy as just looking for God but requires you to search “with all your heart” for God. All that is going on can keep us from seeing God at work for a better world. If the hope in your life seems a bit disturbing, remember what God truly wants for us.
By Rachel Callender
For Pondering & Prayer
What is something you hoped for back in January? Is that still a hope of yours or have your hopes changed? Where is God in that?
Prayer: Peaceful Lord, all you desire for us is happiness and harmony with you. Our world and its troubles often distract us from that and makes it hard to believe. Remind us, God, that you can be found when we search with all our heart. Amen.
Comments are closed.