Jer. 29:8-14
2 old-school farmers were talking when one
says, “I think I’m going to buy one of those new tractors.” The other responds,
“Not me… I’m going to stay with my tried and true horses.” They stare at the
tractor when the 2nd farmer says, “Don’t shoot your horse till you
know how to drive the tractor.”
“If you want to make God laugh… tell Him your
plans.”
Prayer:
We conclude our
series “Wandering Pilgrims” today where we’ve learned that transitions can be
long and arduous. We’ve learned that we should expect wilderness times because
they will happen… because we are imperfect people and because God desires to
teach us… and often we learn best in the wilderness of life. We’ve learned that
to leave the wilderness we will have to take some risks… that we will need
faith to get out of our boats and to trust that God will provide what is
necessary to get through. We’ve learned that we need each other… that God
doesn’t want us to be alone on this journey. That each of us is a part of the
body and each of us has a part to contribute to the conversation as we discern
what God is calling us to be about.
Today, we conclude our series by reflecting
on God’s plan for us.
“I
Have A Plan”
You may recall our 1st
week’s reflection when the Israelites escaped Egypt enthusiastically, then 15
days in there complaining, they build idols, they fight with each other etc…
-
Ex
14:15… God says to Moses, “Why do you
keep complaining, tell the Israelites to move forward.”
They do… but they
shortly forget that God is walking with them and they still find reason to
complain. The result… 40 years in
the wilderness. For the Israelites…
it becomes a patterned of faith and trust and disobedience that gets repeated
over and over. This leads us to
Jeremiah and another failing on the part of the Israelites.
Jeremiah is called
by God to preach to the Israelites and to tell them to turn back to God.
God
calls him even before he’s born.
God
calls him as a young man… he’s 14-16 yrs old.
God calls a boy to
proclaim the goodness.
A
boy who has no experience.
A
boy who has difficulties speaking.
A
boy who is going to tell a nation that they’ve turned away from God and a boy
who is going to tell them to turn back to God.
Be
honest… How many of you would listen to a 14 yr old boy like this?
He’s called to tell
them bad news… their very existence is in jeopardy. The Babylonians is at the
door step of Jerusalem and readying themselves to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple.
They are going to be carted off to Babylon for 70 years. Most of them will
never return.
The people, that is
the Israelites, beat Jeremiah… they put him in a hole, and carry him off to a
foreign land…. How would you like that job? Yet… God says in Vs 11… “I have a
plan”…. “I will bless you with a future.” Jeremiah, like Moses, who only saw
the Promised Land from a distance… Jeremiah has to trust God with the future as
well. The Israelites thought they had the plan… they thought they knew best. They
thought they had right answers & didn’t need guidance from God. They didn’t
want to hear about God’s plan for their lives.
So… what is God’s
plan for us? Let’s look at what God tells us…
“I have Plans to Care for You”
Vs 11… God says, “I
have plans to care for you” Look at the times I have provided for you…. If you
turn to me… trust me
They
knew the stories of God’s provision.
They
knew the stories when God protected them.
They
knew God wouldn’t abandon them…that God hasn’t forgotten then
I just read a book
titled, “The Land Between” and it’s a story that reflects the wilderness
journeys of the Israelites and compares those journeys with the stories of
people the author knows.
Author Jeff
Manion makes this analogy, “The
Israelites do not seem to have
changed over the course of two years in the wilderness… I have the sensation of listening to an old-fashion record player with
the needle stuck in a groove, repeating the same fragment of song over and
over”… Manion continues, “the intention of God is to dislodge the Israelites
from the rut of their lethal, faith-destroying groove… God is at work to
rescue.”
God is not in the
business of wrecking things. God is not in the business of making your life miserable…
God care to much for you to do that. God is however, in the business of
rescuing people not punishing people. Think about it for a moment… How has God
cared for you in the wildernesses of life? God has provided for you. We’ve all
experienced it!
When
finances have been tough… and out of nowhere money shows up at the right moment.
When
the encouragement of a friend soothed an ache.
Just
recently a friend w/ medical issues and was wondering how they were going to
meet a $5000 deductable… and somebody or bodies covered it.
When
I trusted God… God provided.
God cares deeply for
us despite our propensity to turn away.
God tells us I have “Plans to give you a
Future”
I believe this is
the most difficult truth for us to deal with. We look around and we may see not
to bright a future based on our understanding of the kind of future we are seeking.
And that it the problem for us… it’s our understanding of the kind of future we
want. When I entered the ministry I never planned on being an interim pastor.
My plan was that I would be called to a congregation, we would don amazing
ministry, we would engage the community and grow. I would be there 10, 15, or
even 25 years. That was my plan!!! Well… that’s not what God’s plan has been.
God told the
Israelites they had a future… God said, Vs 10… “in 70 years I will bring you
back to Jerusalem.” Israelites… theirs your future.
Jesus tells his friends, “I have chosen you
to be sent out to produce fruit.
Jesus says in John 14… “If you have faith in
me you will do the same things I am doing… in fact, you will do even greater
things than I.”
Do you believe this? Do you believe God has a plan for your life?
Do
you trust God with your future?
God
says, Jer. vs 14… “If you come looking for me, you will find me.” Some
translations say, “If you turn back to me.” ----“If you seek me with all your
heart.
The Israelites were
seeking temporary fixes… much of the time that’s our solution too.
God tells us I have “Plans to Bring You Back”
I believe the most
significant and most challenging Vs in the story, especially as it reads in
“The Message Bible” is Vs 13… “If you get serious about finding me and
want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed… I’ll
turn things around and I’’ bring you
back.”
Most of us most
certainly bounce back from difficulties we face.
-
Hope is
centered in the opportunity that times will change.
-
Hopefully
we have learned something from the wilderness.
-
Hopefully
through the wilderness we have learned to trust God fully.
-
The good
news… God is always inviting us back when we stumble.
The challenge… Are
we serious about God leading us?
Are we serious about God’s Plan For Us?
Max Lucado tells the story of a man who had
been a closet slob most of his life. He just couldn't comprehend the logic of
neatness. Why make up a bed if you're going to sleep in it again tonight? Why
put the lid on the toothpaste tube if you're going to take it off again in the
morning? The man admitted to being compulsive about being messy.
Then he got married. His wife was patient. She said she didn't mind his habits ... if he didn't mind sleeping on the couch. Since he did mind, he began to change. He said he enrolled in a 12-step program for slobs. A physical therapist helped him rediscover the muscles used for hanging up shirts and placing toilet paper on the holder. His nose was reintroduced to the smell of Pine Sol. By the time his in-laws arrived for a visit, he was a new man.
But then came the moment of truth. His wife went out of town for a week. At first he reverted to the old man. He figured he could be a slob for six days and clean on the seventh. But something strange happened. He could no longer relax with dirty dishes in the sink or towels flung around the bathroom or clothes on the floor or sheets piled up like a mountain on the bed.
What happened? Simple says, Lucado… He had been exposed to a higher standard of living. That's what Jesus does.
Then he got married. His wife was patient. She said she didn't mind his habits ... if he didn't mind sleeping on the couch. Since he did mind, he began to change. He said he enrolled in a 12-step program for slobs. A physical therapist helped him rediscover the muscles used for hanging up shirts and placing toilet paper on the holder. His nose was reintroduced to the smell of Pine Sol. By the time his in-laws arrived for a visit, he was a new man.
But then came the moment of truth. His wife went out of town for a week. At first he reverted to the old man. He figured he could be a slob for six days and clean on the seventh. But something strange happened. He could no longer relax with dirty dishes in the sink or towels flung around the bathroom or clothes on the floor or sheets piled up like a mountain on the bed.
What happened? Simple says, Lucado… He had been exposed to a higher standard of living. That's what Jesus does.
--
Max Lucado, In the Grip of Grace (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1996), 116-117.
See You Out on the Road
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