Hope in God Not in a Plan. By Chris Cannon

Today’s message is inspired by a sermon from Pastor Louie Giglio.

“Unshakeable Hope Is Right In Front Of You”

Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit are our future. They are our hope.

Plans come and go. We are not to put our hope in plans. Plans fail, and they waver. We are to put our hope in what is sure, Jesus!

Many people say, “If God would show me the plan, then I would have hope.” We want to see the plan first before we can feel hopeful. Hope doesn’t work that way. God asks us to trust Him. He uses our circumstances to establish trust in Him. When we seek Him first, we experience true hope. God Himself, the person, is our hope, not the plan.

Do you look for a resolution to your circumstances, or do you look to Jesus to be with you in the midst of the circumstances?

I’m not suggesting we don’t want a resolution to the problem. Of course we do. Who doesn’t want freedom from trouble? Freedom from trouble is not the goal. The objective is Jesus. Knowing Jesus and being in relationship with Him is the outcome He is after. Your devoted heart is what He seeks.

God uses our circumstances to bring us closer to Him. It’s in the trouble that we develop a relationship with Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:12-13
“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart.”

It’s the seeking that develops intimacy with our Father. It’s the seeking with all of our hearts that He hears us. God is after our devotion. We must “see” Him first before we seek His help.

In Psalm 27:4, David states,
“One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in His temple.”

David’s one thing was to dwell with God all the days of his life and
gaze upon His beauty. In Psalm 27:1, David declares that God is his light and salvation.

David had it right. God was his hope, and David made God his stronghold.

When we make God our hope, it will not fade amid trouble. When we place our hope in a plan that does not pan out, we lose hope because our trust was placed in the plan and not in God.

Pastor Louie references the book “The Practice of the Presence of God” by Brother Lawrence. I’ve listed those steps below.

6 Practical steps to seek God first.

1. Seek God’s face more than you seek God’s hand.

We must seek God before we seek what He can do for us. When you seek His face, you will get His hand!

2. Shift from seeking the word of God to seeking God of the word.

God’s word is active and living; it is God breathed. If we are not careful, God’s word can become just a book of truths and principles. God’s word should lead us to the God of the word. It is not just the teaching of Jesus, it’s the Jesus of the teachings. We don’t want to get a nugget for the day and miss meeting with Jesus.

We have the God of hope. When looking to His word for hope, look to find the God who is hope. Don’t look for just a verse on hope, look for the God who wrote the verse.

Pay attention, He is in the room with you.

3. Embrace the greatest promise of God. “I am with you.”

Isaiah 41:10
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God;
I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

Matthew 28:20b
“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Circumstances may not change, but God’s promise is clear: I am with you! Our hope should not rest in a plan; the reality should be that God is with you within His plan.

4. Constantly acknowledge Him.

We can speak with God always. No matter where we are or what we are doing, God is with us. Acknowledge His presence with you.

Psalm 23:4a
“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me;”

Fix your focus firmly in the presence of God by conversing with Him always.

5. Give your cares & dreams to Him.

Commit all that you do to God. Start your day by dedicating what you do to God’s hand.

6. Affirm His character by faith in every moment.

Call out His character; your hope stabilizes in the character of God. When you know His character, you know hope!

“You should never go to God because He is useful. Go because He’s beautiful. And yet there’s nothing more useful than finding God beautiful.”
Tim Keller

I implore you to listen to the message. You will be blessed and challenged to pivot. Who doesn’t need a paradigm shift?

What’s your one thing? Does it align with God’s one thing?

Psalm 27:8
“You have said, ‘Seek my face.” My heart says to you,
“Your face, Lord, do I seek.”