For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
-Jeremiah 29:11-13
The prophet, Jeremiah, sent these words to the captives that King Nebuchadnezzar took from Jerusalem to Babylon. God’s message to the captives was that they were going to be in captivity for a time, but that time would not be forever. God would rescue them. While in captivity though, they were instructed to pray for peace in their dwelling place.
The captives were also promised that God had not forgotten them. God had a future and a hope for their lives.
“Call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to You.” Even in captivity, the Lord reminded them that He would listen to their prayers.
“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” God loves hunger. He wants His people to want Him. Here He reminded His people who had been in disobedience that when they searched for Him with their whole heart – they would find Him!
You can see in Daniel chapter 1 that Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were part of this group of people that were taken in captivity. They were taken from their families and put in a completely foreign situation as teenagers. They had the opportunity to forget their God and just conform to their culture around them. But they refused to. They had gotten a word that God still had a plan for them even in their captivity. They held onto that word from God, made it personal, and when everyone else melted under the pressures of an evil society, these young men stood strong even when it meant standing alone. Why? Because they had purpose.
If you feel hopeless, forgotten, trapped, imprisoned, depressed, or captive, know this:
-You have purpose.
-God has thoughts of peace (not evil) towards you.
-You have a future.
-You have a hope.
-Call on God and pray to Him. He will listen to you.
-Pray for God’s peace in your captivity.
-If you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him.
Daniel was in captivity, but he did everything before God with excellence because he knew he had purpose in God. Because of that, he influenced kings and nations.
No matter where you are, you have purpose.
-Jeremiah 29:11-13
The prophet, Jeremiah, sent these words to the captives that King Nebuchadnezzar took from Jerusalem to Babylon. God’s message to the captives was that they were going to be in captivity for a time, but that time would not be forever. God would rescue them. While in captivity though, they were instructed to pray for peace in their dwelling place.
The captives were also promised that God had not forgotten them. God had a future and a hope for their lives.
“Call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to You.” Even in captivity, the Lord reminded them that He would listen to their prayers.
“And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” God loves hunger. He wants His people to want Him. Here He reminded His people who had been in disobedience that when they searched for Him with their whole heart – they would find Him!
You can see in Daniel chapter 1 that Daniel and his three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were part of this group of people that were taken in captivity. They were taken from their families and put in a completely foreign situation as teenagers. They had the opportunity to forget their God and just conform to their culture around them. But they refused to. They had gotten a word that God still had a plan for them even in their captivity. They held onto that word from God, made it personal, and when everyone else melted under the pressures of an evil society, these young men stood strong even when it meant standing alone. Why? Because they had purpose.
If you feel hopeless, forgotten, trapped, imprisoned, depressed, or captive, know this:
-You have purpose.
-God has thoughts of peace (not evil) towards you.
-You have a future.
-You have a hope.
-Call on God and pray to Him. He will listen to you.
-Pray for God’s peace in your captivity.
-If you seek Him with your whole heart, you will find Him.
Daniel was in captivity, but he did everything before God with excellence because he knew he had purpose in God. Because of that, he influenced kings and nations.
No matter where you are, you have purpose.
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