“If [where you are] prospers, you too will prosper.” Jeremiah 29:7 NIV
God will both direct and use circumstances to mold your heart and will to His own.
My thoughts and comments today are about “meanwhile.”
A few days ago, I said a tearful farewell to Don, a life-long friend. He walked with grace and courage through four of the toughest years imaginable. Multiple times doctors said he would not live; multiple times God sustained him in ways not explainable. It was not where he wanted to be, but being there, he walked with God with a dignity and trust that was exemplary. Meanwhile, he learned to live fully, worshipping and serving God in spite of his suffering and physical limits. Alongside him, I learned about God’s will and true courage, about being your best in the worst of times. I love what a friend wrote upon hearing of his death, “He fought a battle with cancer; he finally won!” Indeed he did.
Life, even for the best of people, is not always simple and easy. Life is not one grand sweep of blissful time; it consists of a myriad of moments which are working together in the purpose and providence of God to conform you to the image of Christ. See Romans 8:28-29 NKJV. God will both direct and use circumstances to mold your heart and will to His own. There are occasions when you are in times and places by the will of God that you would not choose. What you do in those times shapes who you are and the extent to which the purposes of God can be worked out in your life. Your comfort is not first priority. In those moments, you might ask God for deliverance that may not come when you want, nor as you like. At those times, it is critical that you know God well and trust Him and His ways absolutely. Read Philippians 4:11-13 NIV.
Israel found themselves in Babylon as captives. All they wanted was to return to Jerusalem, the sooner the better. In their distress, they preferred prophets with reassuring words. You can always find people to say what you want to hear. Through Jeremiah, God told Israel, “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce . . seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you . . pray to the Lord for it, because if [where you are] prospers, you too will prosper . . therefore, build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.” Jeremiah 29:6- 7/28 NIV. In confusing times, you need people who will tell you what you need to hear, and you need to hear what God says. You can blame or build; you can pout or prosper; you can wait or work. Meanwhile does not feel like a good time, but in the will of God it is the best of times.
That is not what they wanted to hear, but it was what they needed to hear. God was working on their behalf and for their good, even if they could not see that yet. See Jeremiah 29:11 NLT. God is as committed to your well-being in difficult circumstances as in the best of times. Read those verses again, slowly and carefully. You won’t escape every unpleasant circumstance on your preferred schedule, but you can make your situation, and yourself, better in the meanwhile. God has not forgotten you, nor will His love fail you. God always answers prayer; His answer may not be the answer you were wanting. Meanwhile, what you do makes all the difference in who you become.
My prayer for you today is that you live every moment to the fullest measure.