In one of my earlier posts, I mentioned my favourite verse - Jeremiah 29:11 ... "for I know the plans I have for you says the Lord ... plans to give you a hope and a future ... plans to prosper you and not to harm you".
The truth is that if I had read this verse about 4 years ago, I would have laughed at the prospect that God was talking to me through it. Isn't it funny how God can change our outlook on life in such a short time ... and in the most unlikely way.
I said in that earlier post that the reasons behind this verse becoming my favourite was another story, and I would like to share it with you now.
I was involved in singing and worship leading at the church that Karen and I had been members of for 17 years. Karen and I had both been brought up in the Church of Christ, and so were fundamental evangelicals. I resisted going to any of the worship summits because my opinion was that nothing good could come out of a worship summit, as the charismatics seemed to run these shows. I remember about 4 years ago being encouraged to visit Riverview Church here in Perth for the Friday night youth rally at the worship summit. I also remember standing there with Karen thinking that this was crazy, and I didn't feel in the slightest bit comfortable with the style of worship. This was the first time in my entire life that I had ever set foot inside a charismatic church. Then the time came for the speaker ... and it was a women (a young women in fact). Wow ... this was really stretching it! Her name was Christine Caine, from Sydney. That night my life changed as God used her to speak into our lives. And you guessed it ... she spoke from Jeremiah 29:11. She shared how God had used that verse to minister to her when she was sexually abused as a child. And she kept on repeating the verse throughout the message - over and over - until I guess that God knew that it had sunk into our minds.
To cut a long story short, over the next 12 months, that verse just kept popping up everywhere. The Sonshine Radio verse ( after the news) would be Jeremiah 29:11, the daily verse in the newspaper would be Jeremiah 29:11, the speakers at different churches that we were visiting (due to me standing down from my worship ministry, and us leaving our church of 17 years) would speak from Jeremiah 29:11. It seemed that wherever Karen and I went to church, or whatever meeting we visited, or whatever we listened to, or whatever we read -was about Jeremiah 29:11.
So why the big deal? The big deal was that through this period of approx 1 year of our lives, it seemed that our world was falling apart. Our business was failing, we were on the verge of losing all that we had, my ministry had been cut-off, we were churchless (looking for the perfect church), I had suffered a serious knee injury, my main employee had left, and things weren't looking too bright. Through all of this, God kept speaking Jeremiah 29:11 into our lives ... and then we started to believe it! And then He started to make the reality of it become true in our lives. He saved our house and our business. He restored our finances (way beyond our wildest dreams), wiped out our debts, gave us a new church and worship ministry, and He has used this verse to speak into many of our family and friends lives.
And for those that would say that God was only speaking to the Israelites, and that the word "prosper" does not mean to bless us in material things - I have heard sermons preached on this angle. All I can say is what God has done for us. God gives us a testimony so that we can share it and encourage others who may be going through the same trials and troubles.
Now Karen and I go to a charismatic church. Wow!!! It's amazing how God can change our attitudes and our beliefs. It's not hard for Him. We just need to be desperate enough for more of God to allow Him to breakdown our mindsets and wrong beliefs.
Every amazing thing that God has done in our lives over these past three years has been as a result of our charismatic friends praying for us, or through visiting charismatic churches and receiving teaching that once upon a time I would have turned my back on. I am so thankful to God for the 40 odd years of Bible teaching that I received in fundamental evangelical churches. I am so sorry though that it took 40 years to learn of the awesome power and freedom that comes from a passionate affair with my Creator and King - Jesus Christ. And the Holy Spirit has become a very good friend of mine. Hallejujah!!! I finally allowed God out of the box that I had imprisoned Him in for most of my life.
My prayer is that you will trust God for your miracle ... the miracle that perhaps you have been too afraid to ask or believe Him for. Remember that He knows the plans that He has for you ... and they are all good.
"I know that my Redeemer lives!"
Does your Redeemer live?
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3 comments:
I appreciated your post on Jeremiah 29:11 so much; it is a verse I have clung to through many, many difficult circumstances. It is one I am having to cling to right now. It's funny how when we think we know where God is taking, and then all of it unravels, we're left open-mouthed and wondering, "Wow, what happened, Lord?" Jeremiah 29:11 is probably his best answer to us.
I also was touched by what you wrote towards the end of your post: "My prayer is that you will trust God for your miracle ... the miracle that perhaps you have been too afraid to ask or believe Him for." There is a miracle I need to ask God for, and I've been encouraged to do it since I read your post. Sometimes I too easily forget what a powerful, yet personal, God we have.
Thanks for the blessing of your words here! May the Lord continue to bless you and use you greatly in his kindgom.
Steve, just wanted to thank you for your comment on my blog about the poem. Yes, I did write it, and I really appreciated your encouragment about it. I write poetry and songs occasionally, although mostly they're personal words between me and God. But I do like to share them occasionally, if only as a testimony of what God's taught me and of his faithfulness. Just wanted to thank you for the encouragment! I hope you have a blessed week.
-Katy
thanks Dad for being open to learn, to being responsive to God, it has directly and indirectly changed my life for the better too :)
I'm learning everyday that there is always more to God and his ways than we realize.
At the moment it seems I'm relearning many things, things that are true and correct that we have been taught from more traditional beginnings.
One things God spoke to me this week is that man is the 'image of God' but just one of us cannot reflect the diversity and greatness of God, it takes people from many backgrounds, from many cultures, picking up on different aspects on God for us to get a better understanding of who God is and his ways. God is so good
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