Jeremiah 29:10-14
10 For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfil to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 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. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, 14 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.
It has been said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This picture is not the exception. From the expression of the young boy, to his hair on end, to the rapture of the young woman and her holding his hand, this picture invokes many things and the comments added make several important comparisons. But, I think I could summarize the thoughts of the young man with a single word; whether the roller coaster or the plans of God, the typical human reaction is “OOF.”
God’s plans don’t always appear obvious and at times might be hidden. After losing a job, what am I supposed to do now? “OOF.” Amid a time of personal loss and grief, how do I carry on without that someone? “OOF.” God’s plans might certainly push or drag us out of our comfort zones. You are asking me to what; that intimidates me. “OOF.” God’s plans might be highs and lows; times of blessings followed by times of crisis. “OOF.” But perhaps the most difficult, is that God’s plans might ask us to change, or to re-learn a new attitude or behavior; and we are threatened by the vulnerability needed to be transformed. “OOF.”
While we can all relate to the young boy when asked to follow Jesus Christ, we can take comfort in the presence of the Holy Spirit. The young girl is not phased by fear but seems to enjoy a new excitement and energy. The young girl also shares that presence of control and peace with the young boy and his “OOF.” The Holy Spirit does the same to us. No hiddenness, no emotional turmoil, no insecurity, no crisis, and no threat disturb the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is secure in the Spirit’s connection with the Father and the Son. And the good news for us, that present security is imparted to those who are open to it. The Holy Spirit holds our hands, never letting go, but being the foundation and security on which we can rely. Even in an “OOF” moment, the Spirit is at Peace and there to give Peace.
Perhaps then we can understand, as Jeremiah reminded Israel, that even when God’s plan is challenging and difficult, we have hope 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. God’s plans are not to injure or destroy us but plans for our welfare. Not to cut us off or throw us into catastrophe, but to give us a future with hope. Even when our discipleship in the moment is the terror of a roller coaster we can be at peace because the Spirit is Peace and there to give us Peace. Even in our “OOF” moments, we can have peace, because we are held, and we are held in Peace.
So, friends, we will all have times when God’s plan is both terrifying and overwhelming, but we also have the Spirit of Jesus Christ; to be present in Peace and to impart Peace to us. If you are now in one of those “OOF” moments, with whatever name and face you which to name it, remember that 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. We might now have difficult moments following God’s plans, but we also have the Spirit of Jesus Christ. That means that our “OOF” moments can become “Peace” moments through the Holy Spirit; and all this to the glory of God. Amen.
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