God Owns Time

It's so hard to look beyond our circumstances. For the Jews in the time of Jeremiah, it seemed impossible. The Babylonians had whisked them from their homes and settled them in enemy territory. Into this depressing scene, God sent Jeremiah, the anguished prophet of judgment. But his message this time was one of hope. In essence, he said, "Though your circumstances look bleak, your confinement will be limited. So settle in and make a home away from home for yourselves. As incredible as it sounds, look for and enjoy the moment of joy, even in this place. It won't be long before the worst will be over."
Today endless darkness may seem to surround you, just as the Israelites experienced. Maybe it is hard to remember the last time you felt free or comfortable. You've watched your business struggle, your friend fight disease or a child disown you. And you may have lived in this place for such a long time that you consider it a second home.

Whether or not the darkness is of your own making, and whether or not you can see its end, remember this: God owns time. Though he rarely shares his reasons with us, he knows why he allows the pain to continue. and he also knows the date, the day, the hour and the precise minute when the agony will end. Not only that, but he also knows what he has in store for us when it's over.
Through Jeremiah, God invited the exiles to look to him, to call to him. God promises that when we search for him with every ounce of our energy, we will find him. In his time, he will bring us back from the dark and hostile places. As difficult as it is to imagine now, this is true: God has plans for us. And because he's God, his plans are always good!


{Jeremiah 29:4-14}
4 This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem:
5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.
6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!
7 And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”
8 This is what the lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams,
9 because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.
10 This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again.
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
12 In those days when you pray, I will listen.
13 If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
14 I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”

{2 Chronicles 7:12-16}
12 Then one night the Lord appeared to Solomon and said,
“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this Temple as the place for making sacrifices.
13 At times I might shut up the heavens so that no rain falls, or command grasshoppers to devour your crops, or send plagues among you.
14 Then if my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and restore their land.
15 My eyes will be open and my ears attentive to every prayer made in this place.
16 For I have chosen this Temple and set it apart to be holy—a place where my name will be honored forever. I will always watch over it, for it is dear to my heart.