Beaten Down

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (The Message)

10-11This is God's Word on the subject: "As soon as Babylon's seventy years are up and not a day before, I'll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I'm doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. 12"When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I'll listen. 13-14"When you come looking for me, you'll find me. "Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I'll make sure you won't be disappointed." God's Decree. "I'll turn things around for you. I'll bring you back from all the countries into which I drove you"—God's Decree—"bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile. You can count on it.

Friday on what I though was a normal work related visit, I stopped by a place of business to announce the start of our new Relay season and to say hello.  Standing in the parking lot was the person with whom I intended to meet, pale, thin, disheveled.  I knew this person had received news several months ago of a cancer reoccurence, but I happened along at his "last straw" moment...the past few months had dealt cancer...no insurance and therefore huge medical bills and finally being "cut off" from treatment, family issues, and the loss of his job this week.  A few months ago energetic and positive, a motivator...my friend was beaten down, ready to throw up his hands and end it all.

After losing a close friend to suicide and being clueless about what was going on, the impact of such a decision hit me squarely in the chest as I stood there.  He and I talked for a few minutes, me doing the best I could to be an encourager.  Thankfully, his dad came a few minutes later.  Another coworker thought enough of me to call later and to let me know his father took him for treatment.

Please pray for my friend.  I know God will not put more on us than we can bear.  Joe is certainly carrying a load right now. Please pray for me now.  I had not planned on my schedule that day to make that visit, and I believe I was placed there for a reason.  As I continue to minister to this dear person, I pray God uses me as he intended.

As you can tell from my blog name, Jeremiah 29:11-13 has been a passage I have prayed many times.  This morning, I chose to see what it says in The Message...and I love the very definite way God says that when we get serious about finding him AND WANT IT MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE, he will make sure we are not disappointed.  You can count on it. 

I believe God has a plan for each of our lives, Joe's too...and that he will show him that plan.  May we all seek God with our whole heart, wanting him more than anything, and can see the plan he has for us.

Comments

  1. Simply a SpongeJanuary 21, 2010 at 6:46 PM

    Powerful words Jennifer! God placed that opportunity in your day and you opened yourself up to His plans for you. How wonderful that you can be blessed and can bless others just doing God's work! I will be praying for your friend to have his burden lifted and that you are divinely covered as you minister to him in his time of need. Proud to be your aunt!

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