I am being prepared for greater things in the days ahead.

 I am sure we are all familiar with Jeremiah 29:11, ‘For I know the plans I have for you says the Lord; plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ God spoke these encouraging words when the Israelites had been sent into exile and were probably wondering if they would ever go back home or if there was any hope for the future. Even in that situation God had good plans for his people.

In the same way, God really does have good things lined up for each of us.  Any parent wants the best for their children.  They invest all they can in education, training, character formation, helping them develop every skill they will need for the future.  They help their children develop their gifts and talents and teach them the skills of life and how to handle situations that may come their way.  Earthly parents often do not have much idea of what the future holds but they do their best to guide their children to be the best equipped they can be for what might lie ahead. 

If we then who are imperfect, who have limited resources and knowledge, will do that for our children, how much more will our loving heavenly Father who has all the resources and is omniscient (knowing everything) lead and guide his children into the future.  We can trust God to know what is best for us and he does know how to get us to our goal.  We can trust God with our destiny confident that he knows each of us intimately, knows our gifts and abilities and how best to use them.

It is important to have confidence in the future while enjoying and making the most of today.  It is even more important to be confident about the future if today is not going well.  If we sink into thinking that tomorrow may be worse than today and that all our tomorrows are destined for a steady decline into mediocrity and failure, depression will quickly grip us. God uses everything, the good and the bad, our successes and our failures to draw us deeper into his love and his plans. Everything that is happening today may be being used in preparation for what is coming in the future. 

If God really does have wonderful plans for our lives to give us a hope and a future, then whether today is a good or not so good day, we can be optimistic knowing that our loving heavenly Father holds our hands and our future.  Greater things await us.