"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)
THE Bible exhorts us to walk by faith and to trust God. To walk by faith is to take risks, to step beyond what is comfortable into situations that have no guaranteed outcome.
When the Babylonians attacked Jerusalem, God spoke to King Zedekiah through the prophet Jeremiah. God promised that if Zedekiah would surrender to the Babylonians, he and his family would survive and the city would not be burned. But Zedekiah was afraid to surrender and afraid of being ridiculed. Rather than face that risk, he tried to escape. The enemy captured Zedekiah, killed his sons, burned Jerusalem, and marched a host of captives away to Babylon. How different the outcome could have been if Zedekiah had believed this word from God!
God has good plans for us, plans to give us "hope and a future." All God asks is that we trust and obey the guidance given us in the Bible. Sometimes obedience to God may invite ridicule. It may mean doing what we've never done before, learning something new, or giving up something we think we cannot live without. Obedience to God can take us into risk, but ultimately it results in blessing.
