UNEARTHLY THING◽ ENCOURAGEMENT
Promises in the Dark
by Angela Dolbear
I love the 80s hit song from Pat Benatar by the same title (which is now playing in my head…Never again, isn’t that what you said…), but I’m thinking about a different promise in the dark. The kind of promise made when we don’t understand what is going on. Like a promise for a good plan for our well-being, when we are currently in a place we don’t want to be.
Not places like the DMV, or a dentist's office. More like a season in life; like when there’s illness—yours or someone else's. Or, waiting for something to happen, like a promotion or a breakthrough. Or even a loss, whether it’s a person, place, or thing. It’s a place we have no control over and wish we could escape from, but we can’t. It’s dark, confusing, frustrating, painful, and just plain terrible.
But God is there with us. Always.
Jeremiah 29:11 is a popular Bible verse, often printed on wall plaques, t-shirts, and coffee mugs. But actually, it is a promise given in a dark time.
The Amplified version says, “‘For I know the plans and thoughts that I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans for peace and well-being and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’”
This verse was a promise made to the surviving Israelites while they were exiled in Babylon. Far from their homeland, they were fixed in a land God told them they would remain for seventy years. That’s a long time to be in a place where they didn’t want to be.
But God was there with them, watching over His people until the time for their release from the dark place arrived.
I love this quote I read in one of Jen Weaver’s devotions:
“You don’t have to wait for God’s goodness or provision until after you leave that hard place. God cares for you even there.”
It reminds me not to focus only on my circumstances. I need to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus—the author of my faith.
The fantastic promise of Jeremiah 29:11 offers us wonderful insights about God.
He instructed the Israelites to make lives for themselves where they were, in that foreign, unwanted place. He told them to plant gardens and build homes. To grow their families, which meant to hold big celebrations. They were also to seek the good of this city that’s not their own, and pray for it, so they all can prosper there. God would take care of them in their dark place.
Why?
Because God fulfills His promise; He knows the good plans He has for their (and our) future. And because when His people seek Him, even though they’d previously turned away, they will find Him again.
Living in the dark place built and nourished their relationship with God, teaching them to trust Him. Hopefully, to keep them from turning away again.
He gave them peace to calm down and simply be where they were. They didn't have to wait for God's goodness or provision until after they left that hard place. He cared for them even there.
In the story of this promise, we see that God created us with the ability to hold conflicting feelings simultaneously. Amazing. He made us complex like Himself. That’s why it’s possible to experience joy and peace in a place you don’t want to be.
Let this promise to the exiles offer you a different perspective about your future. No matter where you are, no matter what season you're in, God plans for your good. And He will bring it to fruition.
He’s good like that.
ANGELA DOLBEAR writes real, relatable, and reverent fiction and non-fiction. She is the author of four contemporary Christian novels, such as THE GARDEN KEY Series and THE TORMENTOR’S TALE, as well as many short stories. All her novels are available on Amazon in paperback, Kindle, and audiobook formats. She is the president of the Nashville Chapter of Word Weavers International. Please visit the THYME Magazine Bookstore for more information. Drop by Angela’s website and sign up for news, read the latest stories, and hear new original music at http://www.angeladolbear.com/subscribe.htm.