The Lord has our best interests at heart

Mark Mast
Rainy River Ministerial

Aren’t you glad that the Lord always has our best interests at heart? In the book of Jeremiah we read of God’s faithfulness to His people even though they had so utterly forsaken Him. At the height of their disobedience, God allowed them to be taken into captivity by the Babylonians and exiled from their homeland. Yet, God continued to love them and had only one wish: their restoration.
In Jeremiah 29:11-13, we read an amazing promise: “‘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. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart.’”
If we are honest, we must admit that we are like the people of Israel in many respects. We have turned our back upon the Lord and forsaken Him. We are guilty of abandoning the truth of the Bible and not praying. We have rejected His laws and commands. Yet, in spite of our sin, the Lord stands ready to forgive. Because of the blood that Jesus shed on the cross when He died, God is willing to pardon our transgressions. His forgiveness is readily available to all who will call upon the name of the Lord to be saved.
God stands ready to bless and prosper us. He desires for us to have “hope and a future.” This is not only true for us as individuals and families. It is also true for us as a church and a community. Ultimately, it is true for us as a nation.
May we have the grace to recognize the ways we have failed the Lord and repent. May we humble ourselves to the point of praying to the Lord to forgive us. What blessing we will discover as we yield allegiance to a faithful God who loves us with infinite love.
2Chronicles 7:14 is a promise of God for us today! “If My people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”
Let’s earnestly seek His face.