GOD'S GOOD THOUGHTS 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.12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” 15 You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,” Jeremiah 29:11-15(NIV)

For about 70 years, the Israelites were in captivity in the land of Babylon. They had suffered greatly and it was predicted by the prophets that they would be taken out of this captivity by this time. They were getting a little bit frustrated when it appeared to them that this was taking too long and their freedom was not too evident to them. So they sang a song in Psalms 137:1-4 saying, "By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy;  they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?

Yes, how can they sing songs of joy in a strange land? How can they sing songs of praises in captivity? Yet, God wanted them to rejoice and be fruitful in captivity. 

 4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord. 10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. Jeremiah 29:4-10

When you are a child of God, He looks out for you in good and bad times, in rain or shine, in hunger or famine, in joy or in sorrow. He is a God of all seasons. In captivity He says rejoice and have hope because He has made a provision for you. In your captivity, He says, don't limit your potential, aspire for greater things. In your captivity He says, you must be the head and not the tail. You may be an immigrant in your country. Never limit how successful you can be in that country. You can do greater things than even the indigenous people if you apply yourself . Joseph was an immigrant in Egypt, yet, he rose to become the next in command to Pharoah.  He was a prisoner with prison clothes yet he continued to excel even in prison. He sharpened his skills of interpreting dreams in prison. Daniel did the same in Babylon. He rose to the highest rank there! 

Captivity is a training ground for greater things to come. God demands constancy in His worship and love for Him. He does not want us to wax and wane in out trust in Him. So it is written, in 1 Thessalonians 5:18(KJV), " In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." God has a plan and purpose for you in every circumstance of your life. That's why He does not want you to complain but to endure and press on in your act of worship to Him. He knows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel for you if you do not give up. God would certainly come through for you after your "70 years" in captivity. “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. "

 You may be asking the same questions David asked in Psalm 13:1-4:

    How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?
   How long will you hide your face from me?

2    How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

I want to reassure you that your captivity will not be long. It is for a season and a time! God's promise for you is 'Yes and Amen.' Your deliverance is set for an appointed time. 

"For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. Psalm 30:5

How can you deal with the long wait for deliverance? When God is about to do an expected good, He pours out a spirit of prayer. We must go to Him in prayer. Pray at all times, in season and out of season.                                                                                      

  "Rejoice always,  pray without ceasing." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17

We must call upon the Lord in expectation of good and deliverance. He says, " Call upon me and I will answer you." Promises are given to quicken and encourage prayer and when deliverance is coming, we must by prayer go forth to meet it. Daniel understood this very well so when the 70 years were expiring, he set his face to pray more fervently than ever. He sought the Lord with fervency. We must seek God with all our hearts, with all our might, and with all our strength. We must seek God diligently. Searching for Him diligently requires a careful search for directions in seeking Him and encouragements to our faith and hope in Him. These directions can be found in His word (The Bible). We must seek Him in sincerity and uprightness. "For without Holiness, no one can see God."

Go to God in prayer today for your deliverance is on the way!
"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."