God Is Good - Pt 4

“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 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. (Jeremiah 29:10-14, ESV). Jeremiah tells the nation the Lord will give them “a future and a hope.” The resurrection of Christ gives us the ultimate future and hope. Recently I asked the readers of Morning Devotionals to write a brief testimonial of God’s goodness to use in this series. My dear friend, mentor, and father in the ministry, Bailey Stone, sent the following personal testimony: I was raised in a non Christian home. At 16 my best friend, Henry Sorelle, with whom I played football at San Jacinto High School in Houston, Texas took me with him to the first Youth Led Revival ever in our city. Note, he did not invite me, he TOOK me, or I never would have darkened the door. Later he took me to his dad's office in downtown Houston, and said to his Independent Oil Operator dad: "Dad I have brought Bailey to you. He is under conviction, and I know YOU can tell him how to be saved"! He did and I was! A year later I was called to preach. When a junior at Baylor University, I had the privilege of leading a weekend youth led revival at my home church, Second Baptist Church in Houston; and, on Sunday evening, my mom and dad came forward to receive Christ; dramatically changing their lives. Later I had the privilege of being Don Emmitte's pastor when he came to Christ while a student at Texas A&M! The most important message in this testimony is the work of God through the Gospel in three different generations. To believe that any of these events were coincidental or random is to deny the very character and person of God. No one could have known those many years ago how the simple act of taking a friend to a youth led revival could be such a link in the future of so many people. Be careful at this point. Many would use this to say how important it is to be obedient to God and do something for the kingdom. Of course, our obedience is important; but our obedience does not direct the will of God. Just the opposite is true. His will directs us. It should never be the fear of the future that directs our path. It is the hope of the future, secured by the blood of Christ that guarantees our good. Whatever happens in our life, it will never overtake our good and gracious God. He is not surprised when calamity strikes; in fact, he is in control over it all to bring our good from it. Just like with Israel, God declares his plans are “for welfare and not for evil” for us as well.