Jeremiah 29: 11-14
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Reflection
When I first put myself forward as a potential candidate for the Ministry of Word and Sacraments in the URC, the answer was “no”. It was a blow. The path I thought God had laid before me disappeared. A whole range of emotions followed as I tried to make sense of what God was up to. I didn’t receive a clear response, but rather a nudge, deep within myself, that I should hold on to my faith, and prepare for an adventure.
There followed years of experiences, encounters, jobs, tasks, events and opportunities which completely changed my outlook on life, opened up perspectives I hadn’t considered before, taught me new skills, and revealed a lot about myself. None of these things were expected, but all remain crucial in making me who I am today.
In Jeremiah, we find the people of God being led on a journey towards the promised land. Relatively suddenly, they were stopped in their tracks, and told to settle in a strange place, for a very long time, without feeling the immediate presence of God amongst them, yet they were asked to remain faithful, as they continued to do God’s will.
Despite times of sorrow, weakness and failure, on the whole, they did remain faithful and carried on, despite the challenges they faced, no doubt learning and transforming every step of the way as new and fresh opportunities came their way, and God’s hope-filled plans for them emerged piece by piece, and the sense of God’s immediate presence among them returned once more, not as they expected, but as God wished.
When I candidated again, there was a resounding “yes”. I know that this came, in no small part, as a result of the God-given experiences and insights I’ve been blessed with over the years, which I would not have received without the “no” which came the first time round.
God’s plans are usually unexpected, and often painful, but they are, indeed, for our welfare, and to give us a future with hope, even if we can’t perceive it in the current moment.
Prayer
God of Mystery,
our plans are not your plans,
Your ways are not our ways,
and yet, despite our frequent
confusion, pain and frustration
as we seek to follow you,
You remain firmly with us,
knowing us intimately,
seeking our welfare.
Help us, then, to remain firmly with you,
no matter where you lead us,
trusting that you will guide us
to a future full of hope,
even, and especially,
when we cannot feel or see it right now.
Amen.