“I know the plans that I have for you, declares the LORD. They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope. Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will hear you. When you look for me, you will find me. When you wholeheartedly seek me.” Jeremiah 29:11-13 (GW).
God has always had good plans for those who are wholehearted. It has been like this in the old covenant as well as in the new covenant. He has given them a hopeful future. We have every reason to be full of joy, looking forward to a bright and glorious future, because God’s plans for us are only plans for peace and not for disaster.
God’s promise for a hopeful future
If you would ask people today what their hope for the future is, the answers would mostly be that it does not look very bright. Most people see a hopeless darkness. They have been disappointed in most of the things they hoped for. They have allowed unrest, discouragement, fear, hopelessness, and evil suspicions to fill their minds with darkness and all kinds of restless thoughts instead of hopeful thoughts that could have given them strength in all the situations of life.
“Oh, I must find rest in God only, because my hope comes from him! Only God is my rock and my salvation—my stronghold!—I will not be shaken.” Psalm 62:5-6 (CEB).
Only in God can our restless soul become quiet and find rest. We will not be disappointed if we put our hope in Him. Our hope and our joy will not be shaken if He alone is our rock, our salvation, and our stronghold, our fortress. There we have peace and are well protected. God promises that the man of peace has a future. (Psalm 37:37.) All the good promises the Lord had given Israel have been fulfilled; everything He had spoken came true. (Joshua 21:45.)
If we are not jealous of sinners but always fear the Lord, then God says, “Surely there is a future, and your hope will not be cut off.” Proverbs 23:17-18 (ESV).
“Now may the God of hope make you full of joy and peace through faith, so that all hope may be yours in the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13 (BBE).
The God of hope is our true Father and Comforter. He doesn’t only want to give us a little bit, but He will fill us with all joy and peace. Through faith and in the power of the Holy Spirit we can be filled with all this joy and peace. We will not be disappointed if our hope is in God. When Paul wrote about sharing in a glory that will not go away, he said, “Since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” 2 Corinthians 3:12 (ESV). We can also be very bold and will not be disappointed.
What was impossible has now become possible
“On the one hand, an earlier command is set aside because it was weak and useless (because the Law made nothing perfect). On the other hand, a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God.” Hebrews 7:18-19 (CEB).
In Proverbs 24:14 (CEB) it’s written: “Know that wisdom is like that for your whole being. If you find it, there is a future. Your hope won't be cut off.”
The law was set aside because it could not lead anyone to perfection. Now we can come to God with a better hope for an eternal life. What was impossible for the law before, has now become possible in this hope. (Romans 8:3-4.)
Now we have the hope of sharing in the most precious promises, and thereby sharing in godly nature. (2 Peter 1:3-4.) And we will also not be disappointed in our hope of being inheritors of God and fellow inheritors together with Christ. But we must share in his sufferings if we want to share in his glory. (Romans 8:17.)
If we continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it, and are not moved away from the hope promised by the gospel we have heard, then we will become holy, pure and faultless before God’s face. (Colossians 1:22-23.)
This can only happen if we are obedient to the gospel. We need to pray for a greater understanding in our hearts of the hope to which He has called us and how rich and glorious the blessings are that God has promised his holy people. (Ephesians 1:18.)
A heavenly future and hope in Christ
The new covenant does not promise us earthly riches, greatness, honour, and power, but it promises us an inner, immovable peace and joy in all situations. If all our hope is in God, we have heaven in our hearts, now here on earth, and then for all eternity.
Paul writes to Timothy to tell those who are rich in this world not to be proud or to trust in uncertain riches, but to trust in the living God who gives us richly all things to enjoy, and to do good, to be rich in good deeds, ready to give, willing to share. In this way they store up for themselves a treasure that is a good foundation for the time to come, that they may get hold of eternal life. (1 Timothy 6:17-19.)
“The love of money causes all kinds of evil. Some people have left the faith, because they wanted to get more money, but they have caused themselves much sorrow.” 1 Timothy 6:10 (NCV).
All earthly riches and honour only give us a hope for an uncertain future with lots of unrest and worry. But when our hope is in Christ, we have a hope for a future in the greatest and eternal glory.