Surely There Has To Be A Plan for My Life?

5 Days

Day 2

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Right now, if we were to hand you a perfectly wrapped gift, what would you do with it?

Would you survey the surface–honing in on the crisp wrapping paper edges and the silky soft bow? Would you shake the box, vying for a guess of what’s inside like a kid on Christmas morning?

We doubt you’d be content with seeing the container the gift comes in, but wouldn’t you rather unravel the bow, peel back the packaging and see what was really inside?

What if we do this same thing with scripture? It may decorate our nightstands, hold sacred shelf space or come with us every Sunday morning and yet, we may not know what is really inside. Let’s change that.

Summary

A Guide to Get Started

As we open scripture today, we need to identify some guardrails that will help us traverse the text. It’s these guardrails that not only grow our comprehension of what we read, but help us be captivated by it.

1. Ask, “What does this text really mean?”

Esther 4:14 may inspire you to trust that God made you for the moment you are in, but it was spoken to Esther from Mordecai, amidst great unrest against the Jewish people.

Joshua 1:9 may instill courage into your heart as you walk into the interview where you need to perform your best, but it was an encouragement from the Lord, for Joshua as he was given the mantle to lead God’s people to inherit the land promised to them.

Romans 8:28 may remind you that God is at work in the midst of it all, but it was written to Jew and Gentile believers at the Church in Rome to help them understand the true Gospel.

Ruth 1:16 may bind your heart in loyalty to another, but it was said by a widowed girl named Ruth, placing a fervent trust in her mother in law in the midst of great heart ache.

While encouraging to the many different trials we may face, these verses were not written to us in our specific circumstances. The truth is that scripture is applicable to all people in all circumstances, regardless of socioeconomic class, geographical location or status, but the text only means one thing. And the specific reason it was written needs to inform how we can apply it to our lives.

Look to our second guardrail.

2. Ask “How can I apply what I read?”

While these scriptures weren’t written to us, they were still written for us. Think back to what we read in 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and Hebrews 4:12.

With the scripture you are reading in mind, use the acronym below to apply what you have read:

S – Sin to Avoid

P – Prayer to Repeat

E – Example to Follow

C – Command to Obey

S – Scripture to Memorize

Is there a sin to avoid? Is there a prayer to repeat? Is there an example to follow? Is there a command to obey? Is there scripture to memorize? The Word that we behold is for us to know and apply.

With these guardrails in mind, let’s take a look at our first passage together.

Don’t Forget the Plan

“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

When we open chapter 29:1, Jeremiah is writing to exiles with a message from the Lord. He says, “These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”

At face value, this chapter begins with a problem: God’s people are in exile. Yet, as we continue the text, we see a promise come into view. Read verses 11-14:

“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. 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, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.”

What do we see? There’s a problem, but God has a plan.

The truth is: God’s plans don’t start when things are good and end when they go south.

The diagnosis that you didn’t see coming. The “no” you never expected. The break up that left you reeling. The friend who walked away. Even in the pain of these moments, you’re not alone. After all, the exile Jeremiah writes about was as much a part of God's plan as the restoration was.

How do we know that? We look at the entire story.

The same exile we read about in Jeremiah is written in the largely prophetic book of Daniel. Look at what it says in Daniel 9, verses 2-4:

“In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments.”

What do we see here? God’s people would be exiles in Babylon for 70 years. Away from the lives they once knew, they found themselves displaced in a foreign land. But remember the promise we read earlier?

“I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.” (Jeremiah 29:14)

Those 70 years were not a waste, they would be used by God to turn His people back to Himself.

Will God really work this all for good?

Is there really a plan for me?

What do I do when I don’t know it?

How do I respond when nothing is going as it should?

We trust His promises to come.

“And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”

Romans 8:28-30

Be encouraged: God works all things together for the good of those who are in Christ. Take these truths to heart:

God is at work.

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, and covers us in prayer.

God didn’t spare anything for us, including His own son, and who He gave up for us.

God won’t allow anything to separate us from Him.

The promise we can cling to in light of it all is a secure and promised eternity with Jesus.

So what do we learn from Jeremiah 29:11? The hardship that you are in the middle of when you break the glass for an emergency may actually be what God will use to bring you closer to himself, for you to see more of his fullness and to feel his comfort. He has a plan, and it includes you.

What's Next?

Heath emphasized the importance of understanding both the interpretation and application of the scripture. Can you provide an example where you might have encountered a difference between the two in your own reading or experience?
What do you think about the idea that the text has one meaning but multiple applications? How does this change your approach to reading biblical texts?
How does knowing that it was addressed to the exiles in Babylon shape the way you perceive the verse?
Today touches on the character of God as shown through Jeremiah and other scriptures. What aspects of God’s character are highlighted, and how do they resonate with you personally?

Scripture References

14But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,

15and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

16All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

17so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

12For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

14For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the

Lord

your God will be with you wherever you go.”

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

16But Ruth replied, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.

11For 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.

12Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

13You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

14I will be found by you,” declares the

Lord

, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the

Lord

, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the

Lord

given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.

3So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

4I prayed to the

Lord

my God and confessed:

“Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. 6We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.

28And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

29For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

30And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.

10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

27So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

15And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.

1As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,

2in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.

3All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

4But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,

5made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.

6And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,

7in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—

9not by works, so that no one can boast.

10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

3You will keep in perfect peace

those whose minds are steadfast,

because they trust in you.

4Trust in the

Lord

forever,

for the

Lord

, the

Lord

himself, is the Rock eternal.

10The ruined city lies desolate;

the entrance to every house is barred.

11In the streets they cry out for wine;

all joy turns to gloom,

all joyful sounds are banished from the earth.

12The city is left in ruins,

its gate is battered to pieces.

13So will it be on the earth

and among the nations,

as when an olive tree is beaten,

or as when gleanings are left after the grape harvest.

6On this mountain the

Lord

Almighty will prepare

a feast of rich food for all peoples,

a banquet of aged wine—

the best of meats and the finest of wines.

7On this mountain he will destroy

the shroud that enfolds all peoples,

the sheet that covers all nations;

8he will swallow up death forever.

The Sovereign

Lord

will wipe away the tears

from all faces;

he will remove his people’s disgrace

from all the earth.

The

Lord

has spoken.

9In that day they will say,

“Surely this is our God;

we trusted in him, and he saved us.

This is the

Lord

, we trusted in him;

let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

6Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

22Cast your cares on the

Lord

and he will sustain you;

he will never let

the righteous be shaken.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

Psalm 37

Of David.

1Do not fret because of those who are evil

or be envious of those who do wrong;

2for like the grass they will soon wither,

like green plants they will soon die away.

3Trust in the

Lord

and do good;

dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.

4Take delight in the

Lord

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

5Commit your way to the

Lord

;

trust in him and he will do this:

6He will make your righteous reward shine like the dawn,

your vindication like the noonday sun.

7Be still before the

Lord

and wait patiently for him;

do not fret when people succeed in their ways,

when they carry out their wicked schemes.

8Refrain from anger and turn from wrath;

do not fret—it leads only to evil.

9For those who are evil will be destroyed,

but those who hope in the

Lord

will inherit the land.

10A little while, and the wicked will be no more;

though you look for them, they will not be found.

11But the meek will inherit the land

and enjoy peace and prosperity.

12The wicked plot against the righteous

and gnash their teeth at them;

13but the Lord laughs at the wicked,

for he knows their day is coming.

14The wicked draw the sword

and bend the bow

to bring down the poor and needy,

to slay those whose ways are upright.

15But their swords will pierce their own hearts,

and their bows will be broken.

16Better the little that the righteous have

than the wealth of many wicked;

17for the power of the wicked will be broken,

but the

Lord

upholds the righteous.

18The blameless spend their days under the

Lord

’s care,

and their inheritance will endure forever.

19In times of disaster they will not wither;

in days of famine they will enjoy plenty.

20But the wicked will perish:

Though the

Lord

’s enemies are like the flowers of the field,

they will be consumed, they will go up in smoke.

21The wicked borrow and do not repay,

but the righteous give generously;

22those the

Lord

blesses will inherit the land,

but those he curses will be destroyed.

23The

Lord

makes firm the steps

of the one who delights in him;

24though he may stumble, he will not fall,

for the

Lord

upholds him with his hand.

25I was young and now I am old,

yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken

or their children begging bread.

26They are always generous and lend freely;

their children will be a blessing.

27Turn from evil and do good;

then you will dwell in the land forever.

28For the

Lord

loves the just

and will not forsake his faithful ones.

Wrongdoers will be completely destroyed;

the offspring of the wicked will perish.

29The righteous will inherit the land

and dwell in it forever.

30The mouths of the righteous utter wisdom,

and their tongues speak what is just.

31The law of their God is in their hearts;

their feet do not slip.

32The wicked lie in wait for the righteous,

intent on putting them to death;

33but the

Lord

will not leave them in the power of the wicked

or let them be condemned when brought to trial.

34Hope in the

Lord

and keep his way.

He will exalt you to inherit the land;

when the wicked are destroyed, you will see it.

35I have seen a wicked and ruthless man

flourishing like a luxuriant native tree,

36but he soon passed away and was no more;

though I looked for him, he could not be found.

37Consider the blameless, observe the upright;

a future awaits those who seek peace.

38But all sinners will be destroyed;

there will be no future for the wicked.

39The salvation of the righteous comes from the

Lord

;

he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

40The

Lord

helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

4May he give you the desire of your heart

and make all your plans succeed.

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

14This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

15And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

2“Meaningless! Meaningless!”

says the Teacher.

“Utterly meaningless!

Everything is meaningless.”

3What do people gain from all their labors

at which they toil under the sun?

1Blessed is the one

who does not walk in step with the wicked

or stand in the way that sinners take

or sit in the company of mockers,

2but whose delight is in the law of the

Lord

and who meditates on his law day and night.

3That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,

which yields its fruit in season

and whose leaf does not wither—

whatever they do prospers.

41He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.”

97Oh, how I love your law!

I meditate on it all day long.

98Your commands are always with me

and make me wiser than my enemies.

99I have more insight than all my teachers,

for I meditate on your statutes.

100I have more understanding than the elders,

for I obey your precepts.

101I have kept my feet from every evil path

so that I might obey your word.

102I have not departed from your laws,

for you yourself have taught me.

103How sweet are your words to my taste,

sweeter than honey to my mouth!

104I gain understanding from your precepts;

therefore I hate every wrong path.

Heath Hatmaker

Heath Hatmaker leads the Student Ministry for Passion City Church 515. He studied church leadership at Liberty University before moving to Chicago where he met his wife, Colleen. They now live in Marietta with their children, Willa and Bear. Heath loves to drink a cup of coffee, connect with people, and communicate God’s word.