Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
How Big Is Your God?
People claim to view their problems from one of three perspectives: optimism, pessimism, or realism. An optimism that ignores reality cannot long be trusted. Pessimism does not generally inspire people. So, that leaves realism- the perfect balance between optimism and pessimism.
But let’s be clear: realism is not at odds with optimism; it is at odds with falsehood. When people have a little God, they have to minimize their problems to cope. When we see God for who He is, we are free to see our problems as they are (realism) and not despair.
Jeremiah knew this. God used Jeremiah to write a letter to the Jewish people who had been taken captive to Babylon. They thought God was small. Because they thought so lowly of God, they had no way to handle their problems other than to minimize their problems. They had false prophets who would say things like, “Hey, in 2 years you’ll be back home. No big deal.”
The truth was that God had told them they were going to be there for 70 years. Now that may have been a hard reality, but they needed to remember that God was in control. God is good, and there is a purpose to what He is doing.
God says in Jeremiah 29:10, “After seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you.” This is the truth. People are free to accept the truth as it is, when they possess a God Who is greater than they are and greater than their problems.
A lot of times when we have a small God, we have no other way to negotiate problems than to shrink the problems down to be the size of our God. Instead, we should be acknowledging God to be the great God that He is.
Jeremiah 29:11 sums it up when God says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. “ God had an end in view. There was a reason for and a conclusion to what He was doing.
Today, I don’t know how great your problem is, but I do know that God Almighty is in control. When we accept God for Who He is, it frees us up to see life as it is, but not be overwhelmed by it because there is a God Who is greater.