God loves to speak into impossible situations and impart His promise of hope and victory to His children.
Jeremiah 29:11 is a perfect example of this. Jeremiah was the weeping prophet. He was the man who was to tell Israel what she was going to go through because of her sin. It broke his heart.
But in the midst of all the doom and gloom there springs forth a flower of promise in the desert. It is where the Lord says, “I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for.”
Wow! In the midst of so much trouble, calamity and expected captivity there comes this amazing promise.
God has always been in the business of breathing hope into His children even when they were being disciplined for disobedience and rebellion.
So how much more can we be convinced of those promises that are sure and steadfast because of the work of Christ on our behalf? It does say that the promises of God are yes and amen in Christ!
There was man in Scripture who demonstrates being convinced really well. We find him in Romans 4:20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore "it was accounted to him for righteousness."
Here was a man past hope but yet through faith he had hope. He was far too old to have children yet God made an absurd promise to him that he would be the father of many nations.
The thing that enabled this man to cling to such a ridiculous promise was the fact that he was convinced!
What was it that Abraham was convinced of? Vs21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
Abraham was not convinced of his own ability to perform this. He was convinced of God’s ability to do what He had promised.
In other words Abraham knew he had heard God and as such could bank on Gods power and ability to perform it.
About The Author
- Tim Atchley
- Knoxville, Tennessee, United States
- I currently serve as Senior Pastor of Harvest Church in Knoxville, Tn. I was sent out from Trinity Chapel of Knoxville in 1993 accompanied by my wife Sheila our four children Sarah, Hannah, Josiah & Isaac and a handful of bold, brave and committed believers determined to plant our first church. Pioneering is hard work but well worth the journey. That is why we desire to make disciples of Christ who will, like us, also embrace the call to plant churches.
