Corona Devo 3230

When I was in high school and college, there was a convention every July at a hotel in the business section of our town.  I would see the big hotel marquee that advertised "Pez Toy Show" and "Pez Convention", and I would think to myself: "Who would attend that?"

I saw that sign every July for probably thirteen July's, and I never once had a hankering to "check out" the Pez show.

Pez dispensers are little plastic toys that have an internal chute that can be filled with a sleeve of rectangle bricks of tiny hard candy that come in flavors like lemon, orange and cherry.  When we were kids we had a couple Pez dispensers, but they were never of any importance or value to me.  And thus, I wondered every year who would go to a toy tradeshow centered around Pez dispensers?


For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  ~Jeremiah 29:11-13

Do we accept this Bible verse as truth for us and over our lives?  Our entire lives?

Can we agree that God does have a plan for us, and that it is to prosper us and not to harm us?  

I do accept that truth from the Bible, and I cherish that Bible verse as an umbrella over my life and heart.  God has plans for us, and they are good.

Jeremiah 29:11 is a famous and often-cited Bible verse...and it should be.  It is beautiful and promising, and from the Lord.  But somewhere along my Bible reading adventures, I read past Jeremiah 29:11, and (hold on to your hats!), God goes deeper with us in Jeremiah 29:12-13, if we are willing to partner with Him.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (12) Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  ~Jeremiah 29:11-13

I declared the Lord as my Savior around the age of sixteen.  And somewhere around my twenty-seventh year of life...I had traveled, I had worked hard, I had achieved success, and I had done things "my way" most of the time, which had included who I dated.  Life was good, but somewhere deep inside, I knew that it was not all that it could be, and through Scripture and Bible-based church preaching, I realized that "life" wasn't the issue, I was.  

For over a decade, I was seeking God, and finding Him here and there, but I wasn't seeking Him with all my heart.

The Bible opened my eyes to this.  God opened my heart to this.  The Lord convicted me of this.  God had more for me, but I would have to give Him the reins, and allow Him to reign.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  ~Jeremiah 29:12-13

I remember the exact evening that I got real with God, as I knelt in prayer before going to bed one night.  I called on Him.  I came to Him.  I prayed to Him.  I sought God with all my heart for the first time in my life...for my life and my future.

Unbeknownst to me, my husband prayed a similar (honest/vulnerable/raw) prayer on an evening during that same year, regarding his life, his future, and his future family.

He called on God.  He came to Him.  He prayed to Him.  He sought God with all his heart.

~~~

We met that year at church, and we were married that same year.  And did I mention that he collects Pez dispensers?  

I don't think that we have missed attending the "Pezamania" Toy Show in twenty-one years.  Every July we take a drive to my hometown and although the hotel marquee is gone--the Pez show goes on, and now I know who attends it, because it's me.


Our wedding cake toppers looked like this:


                              

~~~

God has plans for us!  He has always had them, but sometimes we stunt them by trying to control them.  We stunt Him by trying to control our lives instead of letting God control our lives.  

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  ~Jeremiah 29:13

Following God is the most counterintuitive thing--only in letting go of everything, and submitting it all to Him, can we fully receive what He is orchestrating in our lives (and here is a hint: it is for our good and to prosper us and not to harm us).  Letting go (of our plan) is how we receive God's plan.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (12) Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. (13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  ~Jeremiah 29:11-13

God has plans for us, and they are good and to prosper us.

I wish I could say that I have never taken the reins back from God about any issues or circumstances or relationships in my life.  But I can say that everytime we release control to the Lord, He has plans for us, and if we call on Him, pray to Him, and seek Him...He will be found.

Let's get real with God today.  Let's call on Him.  Let's come to Him.  Let's pray to Him.  Let's seek God with all our heart today.  Let's give God the reins, and allow Him to reign.

God has plans for us, and they are good and to prosper us.

He will listen to us.  
And we will seek Him and find Him when we seek Him with all our heart.

Blessings,

sarah 

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com 

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