Jeremiah received a promise from the Lord with future plans for Israel that included “hope not despair” but it probably didn’t mean all that much during that particular season. After all, Israel at the time was not in trouble and Jeremiah was known to have a sort of pessimistic view of life, hence his reputation as a “weeping” prophet. But years later when Israel was in exile, Daniel got hold of the writings of Jeremiah–words that declared a future promise to return Israel back to its homeland. Daniel began to fast, pray and contend for God’s Word to become a reality. And it did!
This year, Bill Brown, police chief of Lompoc, Calif. was honored in Sacramento as the Police Chief of The Year for the state of California. He happens to be a part of the Lompoc Foursquare Church. Pastor Bernie Federmann was invited to be part of the ceremony. Just days before the event, Bernie received a fax from Montreat, N.C. to be read at the ceremony. It said something to the effect of “Dear Bill: Ruth and I remember the day that we held you in our arms and dedicated you as a baby—in our home. We prayed that the Lord would mightily use you and He has! Love, Ruth and Billy Graham.” Wow!
The truth is that God had a plan for you from the beginning. The questions are: Do you believe it? Are you praying and fasting (Daniel) your way towards it? Are you stewarding your life in a way that allows God to honor his plan?
“The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.” -Proverbs21:5 (NKJV)
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By: Glenn Burris Jr., general supervisor
