A New Look at God’s Promises

There are a few verses that are a staple in the Christian decorator’s toolkit. Jeremiah 29:11 is one of them. If you have been a Christian for any length of time, I’m sure you’ve seen this verse on knick-knacks, decorative plaques, and other various pieces of home decor. Here’s what this great promise says:  

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV) 

This is pretty fantastic, right?!

Our God, the sovereign king of the universe who holds everything together, is concerned about us. He cares for you and me. He is so kind and gracious to us that He gives us a future and a hope. He has gone before us and has good things in store for us.  

God’s Promises Beyond Jeremiah 29:11

No wonder this verse is everywhere—it’s a great thing to remember, especially during the tumultuous times we’re living in. But the other day, as I was reading through the chapter again, I realized that verse 11, while incredible, pales in comparison to the other promises God makes in this chapter. Let’s dig a little further into Jeremiah 29.

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord…”

Jeremiah 29:12-14a (ESV) 

The reason why verse 11 is so great is because of these verses that come after it. Our future and our hope are only good because we are with Him. The plans He has for us are great because they involve an intimate, beautiful, and face-to-face relationship with God. He is our future. He is our hope. Now that’s some really great news!  

The plans He has for us are great because they involve an intimate, beautiful, and face-to-face relationship with God. Click To Tweet

God’s Promise in Jeremiah 29:12

God is perfect and holy.

He is sinless and there is no deceit within Him.

He is without shame, spot, or blemish.

He is flawless. And yet He makes Himself accessible to us. God would be wholly justified to hide His face from us and associate with a holier variety of people. He could have decided that we just weren’t worth His time and it was best if He just stayed away. But He didn’t. He doesn’t. 

He doesn’t ignore our cries or turn away when we call on His name. He chooses to incline His ear to us. 

He doesn’t hide away from us, making it impossible to find Him. Instead, He makes Himself available to us. 

When I read these verses, I imagine a dad playing hide-and-seek with a young kid. If you’ve ever played this game with a small child, you know that they aren’t always very good at hiding or finding. I see this little kid running around the room, searching frantically for their father, wondering where he could be hiding. But he isn’t far. In fact, he’s right there in the room. The kid spots his big feet sticking out from behind the drapes and squeals with delight. The father rejoices too—he celebrates at his child’s pursuit of him.  

A Promise from a Perfect God

Jeremiah 29:11 is a great promise, but for many years, I used it to focus on myself. I was focused on the fact that God would give me hope and a great future. In fact, I put my hope in the fact that God would fulfill His promise of a good future. I imagined security and success and provision and my dreams coming true. But God has so much more than that for us: He has offered us Himself.  

I am in awe that our perfect God longs for a face-to-face relationship with me. He celebrates when I pursue Him and He makes Himself accessible to me. Because Jesus is my hope and my future, I know that the days ahead of me are better than I can ever imagine. While bleak and devastating circumstances will come, because He is with me, I don’t have to fear. What a good God we serve!  

An awesome promise from a perfect God… Click To Tweet