By Helen Jesze 15th May 2026

“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. Then you will call on
me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find
me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jer. 29:11-13 NIV

In Life, every one of us has had plans what our future will look like, or what we hope
it will look like. We have various dreams, some are good, some are not good. Some
plans come to pass, others don’t. When a person gives his or her life to Jesus, then we
find that He may agree with our selfmade plans, or He may put a stroke right through
the middle.

God says here that he KNOWS the plans he has for us. It’s not “maybe”, “perhaps,”
“let’s try this or that” – but something DEFINITE. His plans are not a spur of the
moment thing, they are planned in advance. The Plan of Salvation was made before
the foundation of the world, Jesus was to be God’s Lamb for us – our salvation. This
was meticulously worked out with many people involved over thousands of years,
until it actually came to pass on Calvary. The most important part of His plans is that
we might be saved, become a Child of God. But as we walk with Him, He has other
plans along the way.

God’s plans are good for us, to help us to prosper, not just financially but in every
way. Jesus said that if natural, earthly fathers want to give good gifts to their children
how much more does our Heavenly Father want to give the Holy Spirit to those who
ask him. But this also means that God wants to give us good things in our life. He
sees the full picture.

Plans “not to harm us”. People and family often have plans for us, some are good but
not all, for it is only God who sees the future and what Tomorrow may bring, and
these earthly plans are not always in line with His plans for us. Satan also has plans
for us, these are definitely meant to harm us, however enticing his plans might seem
at first. We are wise if we do not go along with his plans but follow the Lord’s
leading. In last week’s devotional I shared how as a teenage girl, I was torn between
going after the plans I wanted for my life or fulfilling God’s plan for me. Thank God,
I chose His Plan and discarded mine!

God says His plans will give us a FUTURE and a HOPE. During the pandemic and
afterwards, HOPE was a scarce commodity. So many people lost hope, even many
Christians. Fear and worry, mental problems were on the increase. It often looked as
though there was no future and we would be in a constant state of lockdown or
problems we had not encountered before.

God is on our side; He is always a God of the FUTURE. There is always HOPE with
Him. He never gives up on us, but this comes with finding out His plans for us
individually, embracing them and obeying Him. In the above verses, He gives us two
promises and a condition.

The first promise is that when we call on Him and pray to Him, He will hear us. Then
the condition — if we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him! That is the
second promise!

What about you and me today, dear Friend? Are we looking for all kinds of
things and people to help us, but not wholeheartedly praying and believing that
our Heavenly Father has answers? And are we seeking Him but only
superficially and not wholeheartedly – “with all our heart”?

So be encouraged that God has good plans for us all, even when we are older. I
am 83 years old now, but I am still believing that God has great things in store
for me, and that He still has a plan to use me for His glory!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you that you do not leave us to
flounder on our own in Life, but that you have excellent help and
Plans for each of us personally, to direct us, to help us but also to fulfil
your mandate on our lives, so that we might fit in with your wider
Plan in the Body of Christ, to bless those around us, and to help bring
in the Harvest of Souls.
Forgive us when we have deliberately gone our own way, help us to
submit to your divine Will, for your way is Best! Thank you for
hearing and answering our prayers and for the wonderful Hope you
have given to each of your Children! In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen