“‘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
Way too often we get stuck in the past, and we let things that are behind us define us. If you are walking with God today, if you are following God, your past does NOT define your future. God does!
The story of Ruth is a great example of this. At the beginning of the book, she is living in Moab, her home nation. Her husband died, so now she is a widow who is childless, who is also living with her mother-in-law.
Now, at this point in her story, Ruth’s home country had deemed her an outcast. Everything in her past defined her as useless and hopeless, and yet God had other plans.
We are reminded of that in Jeremiah 29:11, which says, “‘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.”
Do you think God is finished with you? Do you believe God is incapable of raising you up and doing great things in your life? Let those words shower over you today! God’s plans for your life are far greater than your plans! And He is capable of raising you up and blessing you and using you however He sees fit.
God was not finished using Ruth, despite the fact others had counted her out. And the same is true of you! God is not looking at what you have done or what has happened to you in the past. He does not see you the way others might see you.
God has a special plan and purpose for your life, one that is far greater than anything you have previously experienced. If God is your navigator, the past is NOT your final destination!