GOD'S PLAN FOR YOU

'For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.' Jeremiah 29:11

This verse is very special to me. God has been showing me this verse since July last year. I was going through a transition in seasons back then, so God wanted to assure me that He has good plans for me. He knew I was scared but yet I chose to trust Him. I had to close the door behind me first without knowing when the door in front will open. I was pioneering into new grounds yet I still didn't have a single clue what He wanted me to do then.

Pastor Prince declared this year as the year of His restoration. Ever since then, I have witnessed how God has restored things I lost or gave up, even things I have forgotten. Actually God has begun the work of restoring my soul last year and I found that joy has come to abide in places where I once mourned. He was slowly turning my sorrows into joy, my mourning into dancing. God was healing me of my heartaches and disappointments. Before He moves me onto a new season, He always does a work of restoration first.

Many of us know this verse very well but do you know that the context of this verse is Jeremiah's Letter to the Captives? The verse preceding this talks about how the Lord promised after the 70 years of captivity were completed at Babylon, He would visit the Israelites and perform His good word towards them and cause them to return to Jerusalem. This sounded like restoration to me. God was restoring the Israelites back to their home land.

Other than assuring me of His good plans for my future through this verse, God was also telling me He is doing a work of restoration. When I realised the other meaning of this verse recently, I was really very touched. It was so in line with this year's theme. Pastor also mentioned that the broken pieces will come together to form a picture this year. He was referring to those senseless things, those unfair stuff that happened to you.

He said when God reveals His restoration work in your life, whatever senseless things you have been through will all make sense. You will see how God turned all things around for our good. Oh, how my heart swells when I see those broken pieces of my life coming! God is truly working all things, the good, bad and ugly things, together for my good! No words can express how grateful I am to God! I see He has really been working behind the scenes for the past few years but only now this marvellous work has been revealed!

Dear friends, don't be discouraged if you haven't been seeing anything happening on the surface. God's word has already been given about this year. You just have to agree with Him and cry out 'God, restore!' Then rest and watch how He turns things around for your good and restores your soul, all the years the locusts have eaten and your health! Then give Him all the praise and glory!