What Are God's Plans for You?

“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"
​ (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV).

​Christians often use the verse above as a source of comfort when our plans fall through or life gets too hard. I know in my own life because I have so much to deal with concerning my health, it's nice to have one of those "go-to" verses that help me not lose hope or give up entirely.
​
Prosperity teachers would have you believe that Jeremiah 29:11 is all about how God wants us to prosper financially. But that is not what this verse is all about. So what does Jeremiah 29:11 tell us about God? What are His plans for us? Especially in pandemic times?​

To get to the heart of this verse, we need to first take it into context. This was a message from God to the Jews held in Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. The verses surrounding Jeremiah 29:11 are specifically to tell the Jewish people that God had a plan. After seventy years, He would bring them back to Jerusalem. You can read the whole chapter at Biblegateway.com.

So, does that mean the verse has no benefit for us today? On the contrary, we are at the heart of God's plans. So what does this verse tell us?

For I know the plans I have for you,"
declares the Lord.

God had a plan to redeem captive Israel from their rebellion toward Him. Due to their disobedience, they would be exiled to a foreign land for seventy years. God assures them right off that this is part of His plan.

We may not see the "good" in God's plans right now,
​but He does have a purpose.

​The Hebrew word for "plan" is machashabah, and while it can mean plan, it also means "thought." Did I think God's thoughts were good toward me when I fell down a flight of stairs and was permanently disabled? No. Did I think God's thoughts were good when I was diagnosed with an incurable disease that has destroyed my lymphatic system? No. Did I think God's thoughts were good when I ended up in the hospital for half a year? To be honest, by that time, I had a good idea of how He worked. So I accepted God had my best interests at heart, and He was working out a greater purpose for me.

​I know life can have its horrible moments. But if this verse teaches me one thing, it is that God thinks about me and has a plan all worked out for me. The first major plan was my salvation, which was made possible for me (and you) through Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. The rest of the plan for my life will differ from yours in scope, but the end goal is the same - to one day stand before God and hear Him say, "Well done!" (Luke 19:17). It will be my choice whether or not I hear those words.

"Plans to prosper you and not to harm you."

This is where prosperity teachers say God wants us all to be healthy and wealthy. This is also why those who don't recover from sickness or get rich from claiming this verse get frustrated and instead give up on God. DON'T DO THAT! Because this verse has been mistranslated in our modern Bibles and taken out of context by prosperity preachers. This is what it really says in the Torah:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith HaShem, "thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope" 
(Jeremiah 29:11 JPS).

As you can see, God does not promise to prosper us financially or keep us from sickness or injury. The word used in the original Hebrew is shalom, which has many meanings (yes, one of them is prosperity), but the main one is peace or goodwill. In other words, God has plans for your welfare. Prosperity teachers say that since all parents want good things for their kids, God wants the same things for us. Meaning material things. But God's primary concern is our spiritual welfare. We know that this peace (shalom) is what He had in mind. Your welfare is improved ONLY by your relationship with God. Suppose you damage that relationship through direct disobedience or rebellion, like the Jews during Jeremiah's time? In that case, God will take the necessary measures to get you back on track. In the Israelites case, their disobedience cost them 70 years in exile. 

But if God doesn't want to harm us, why do we suffer?

God thinks thoughts of peace towards us, not evil. He will not let us go astray without first pointing us in the direction of repentance. His corrections are for our good. Sometimes those "corrections" can hurt.  They keep us on the path of good, not evil. Sometimes they are not corrections to our life, but something God wants us to learn (patience, humility, kindness, etc.). Prosperity teachers would have you believe that a loving parent (aka God) would give you everything you want and keep you perpetually happy and healthy. That's not how life works! It's so unrealistic and is a horrible example of good parenting. We are God's children. He is our Father. He loves us too much to give us everything we want. That's how spoiled brats are created. 

Sometimes God's plans require suffering.

Jesus knew that more than anyone. For God's plan to be carried out, Jesus had to suffer an excruciating death. But it had to be done for our salvation. Right now, you may be going through some horrible stuff, but it will result in you becoming the person God is calling you to be. His thoughts towards you are peace, not evil. Trust Him. He knows what He's doing. He is trying to help you in your spiritual growth. The end result concerns what He will say when you meet Him face to face one day.

"To give you a future and a hope."

Our future, our hope is not to live long and prosper on this earth (sorry Mr. Spock). Our future and our hope are to spend eternity in God's presence. Eternity begins now. God is currently preparing you for the day when you meet Him face to face. And make no mistake, God is using this pandemic to get the attention of His church. God's plans are all about our spiritual condition and our relationship to Him. For it is through the Holy Spirit that we have communion with God. We are spiritual beings first, created in God's image (Genesis 1:27). We need to focus on our eternal future right now, because God's plan has always been that we should have a relationship with Him. That is our future and our hope. It is not what this world can offer. It never will be. 

"Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 
And you will seek Me and find Me, 
​when you search for Me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:12-13).