Jeremiah 29:11 says,
“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope.” (NASB)
That verse has been of great comfort to many, me included.
Ever wonder what God’s plans are for you? Me, too.
Ever ask Him about those plans? Of course you have.
Think about that word—plans. When you make plans,you have a goal in mind. So does He. And His goal is for your healing, although sometimes you may wonder about it.
It can seem like it takes forever to get anywhere close to the goal, doesn’t it?
Sometimes it seems like He has a roadmap and we are expected to figure it all out but we have a few missing map sections. That’s when we have to decide, once again, to keep going. To go all the way. To reach the goal, no matter how long it takes.
I recently learned something about this reassuring verse. The original translation of the word “plans” is “process”. The Lord knows the PROCESS He designed for us. He knows exactly what it will take for us to release our pain to Him. He knows what process we will need to go through to reach our goal. And the process of healing can be very complicated. We find ourselves getting peace in one area, then another pops up. And the process continues.
If you’re like me, you hate thinking about the process. You want healing RIGHT NOW. We all do. However, it we were healed instantaneously, we wouldn’t have the time to learn how to walk it out. We could very well be in worse shape that we were before. Different, but worse. We would also be unable to help others through their own process. Talk about taking steps backward!
When the going gets hard (and if it hasn’t happened yet, it will), go ahead and take some time to rest. Then make the decision to get up and go on. Determine to go through the process God has for you.
Because He has designed a hopeful future . . .
specifically for you.
This is part 20 of a series on abuse recovery
Part 1| Am I Alone in my Pain?
Part 2| Do You Have Hope?
Part 3| Putting Your Hope in God is Safe
Part 4| How Do We Lose Our Hope?
Part 5| Growing up Without Hope
Part 6| Scripture Promises Can Stimulate Hope
Part 7| Hope Can be Found in Journaling
Part 8|Every Journey Begins with This
Part 9| Why Do We Quit Too Soon?
Part 10| Don’t Let These Stop You!
Part 11| Learning Too Much Can Stop Your Progress
Part 12| Is Fear of Change Hindering Your Healing?
Part 13| Are You Afraid You Don’t Deserve Healing?
Part 14| What if God Doesn’t Want Me to Be Healed?
Part 15| What if I Can’t Fight Long Enough for My Healing?
Part 16| Are You Living with Shame from Your Past?
Part 17| Do You Feel Like You Hate Your Own Soul?
Part 18| Shame
Part 19| Getting Rid of Shame
all illustrations courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net