Their world had been shaken; they had lost everything. Then God said something to lift them beyond the shaking: he promised a gift of hope and a future. The same truth has come to us, and it gives us a reason to live in rest… even when our world shakes.

Sin had taken Judah away from the future God had for them. He evicted them from their land for a seventy-year exile, but would bring them back on track with his plans. He told them:

‘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’ (Jer 29:11).

The HOPE

The promised hope wasn’t simply a cheerful optimism, a confidence that the nation would survive the shaking. God’s announcement of hope focused on an event: the arrival of the Messiah. And their promised future wouldn’t only start after that, but would lead to it.

The hope wasn’t a single event; there were two parts. Christ would first come as the Suffering Servant and return later as the triumphant King. God gave Israel prophetic signs by which they could recognise the Messiah’s arrival. Many failed to do so. They were looking for an immediate Deliverer-King. With expectations locked onto the second part of the hope event, they missed the miracle of the first.

We are living between the two parts of the hope event. We celebrate Christ’s first coming as the Lamb of God, and our blessed hope is the expectation of his triumphant return (Titus 2:13).

The FUTURE

The hope event is more than a comforting truth in our belief folder. It defines our future. Hope is a gift to be put on, worn as a helmet to protect our thinking as pilgrims. It filters our exposure to the world (1Th 5:8).

The expectation of Jesus’ return shapes our values, choices, decision-making, ambitions, and goals. It loosens our attachment to what is temporary, and steers us towards what lasts.

The Spirit empowers us to overflow with hope, because the stronger our bond to the hope event, the greater its impact on our journey towards it (Ro 15:13).

The Lord planned our future with the final hope event in mind. He has written his purpose into the days of our lives, and placed our future under his perfect protection as we move towards the great climax when Jesus Christ is revealed (1Pe 1:3-7).

This amazing gift of hope and a future gives us another reason to live at rest in him…even when our world shakes.

Everything the Lord planned for our future and is doing in us, is with the final hope event in mind – the day of Christ Jesus (Php 1:6). His desire to lead us in his plans is always bigger than our longing to be led. But he wants us to put that longing into words.

• Tell the Lord that you trust his loving and wise thoughts about your future.
• Relinquish all rights to ownership of your life – announce that your future is his alone.
• Read Ps 32:8 and speak to the Lord about your hunger to receive his instruction, teaching, and counsel, so that the future he has for you is the one you live.

Note: Don’t miss the expanded video version, God’s Gift of Hope & Future. I’ll post the YouTube link once uploaded to the Prayer Life Wingspan channel.