Unknown Plans of Even Though

There is something beautiful and reassuring about Jeremiah 29:11

“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.”
‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I have been going through a period in my life where the plans I have haven’t come to be. Plans that I believed were good plans. Plans to give me hope and a future.

During these type of seasons it is easy to lose hope. It’s easy to fall into the trap of comparison where it seems like the grass is greener in someone else’s field. To look over the fence and only see potential of greater days ahead.

It’s easy to want to jump ship and paddle in a little canoe in a new direction.

But is that always the best idea?

Is running away the plan God has in mind?

It’s easy to focus on me. It’s human nature to look to oneself. What I’m missing. What I don’t have. What I think would make me happy.

But should our happiness rely on what I think will make us happy?

But we all have these holes that we try to fill. Many of the things we try to fill it with can be good things. A relationship. A job. A vacation. A raise. A new outfit.

And then we can try to fill that emptiness with other things not so good. A stiff drink. A needle or a smoke. A pair of long legs or big biceps. A spin of the wheel or a deck of cards.

We all fill our void with something.

Here’s the tough question: Whether good or bad, if you are seeking something other than God to fill that emptiness is that a form of idolatry?

If your joy relies on these things and not God, then that thing has become an idol.

Another verse I cling to in seasons of gaps is

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines; even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren; even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty, yet I will rejoice in the Lord! I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭3‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Even though life is not great. Even though the days are long and hard. Even though you are struggling to keep you head above water, I can still rejoice in the Lord.

I love the phrasing of “even though.”

Habakkuk wasn’t saying life is great. No, Habakkuk was pointing out the holes in life. He was pinpointing the gaps he saw. He wasn’t overlooking the dire situation with fake smiles. No, he flat out said things are bad. But once again, his joy wasn’t based on these temporary days.

His joy was on the eternal God who has promised to see us through our dark days.

You may feel like you’re wandering in the wilderness, but God sees the Jordan you’re about to cross.

You may feel like you’re in the belly of a whale, but God knows when you’ll be back on dry land.

You may feel like you’re waiting for a lost cause, but God knows when the seed will sprout and bloom.

I recently heard an interesting analogy by Max Lucado. The best silversmiths will beat and hammer their sheet of silver until they can see their reflection. What if God is allowing this beating and hammering in your life until He sees His reflection in you?

What if these hard and trying days have a purpose to refine you into the person God knows you can be?

A runner will never know how far he can run, until he runs until he can’t run anymore. The same for a weightlifter. They will never know how the max they can lift until they find the weight they can’t lift.

The same is in life. We will never discover our true, solid faith until we are pushed to the edge and discover our limit.

But that is the interesting thing. Our faith doesn’t rely on us. If we fully seek after God, we will never reach a time when we should say, “That’s too much, God. I can’t take anymore.”

Because if we acknowledge our faith and our joy is in Him, and if His grace and love is limitless, then our faith and joy should reciprocate with endless proportions into a never ending cycle.

Hard times lead to seeking God. Seeking God leads to Him bestowing His strength to us. We receive His strength causing us to strive more. Which once again leads us to times of trials when we should seek God.

Hard days will come. There is no invisibility cloak to shelter is from the storms that are around the corner. But if we learn to focus on Him and not ourselves, then we can overcome anything that comes our way.

Even though…even though…even though. God is still good.

I hope you can see the potential God sees in you in your dark days.

Peace