One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for harm, to give you a future and a hope.” This is a wonderful promise but with conditions as stated in verses 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.” As we go through life we can become sidetracked as life does not turn out to be what we planned—and we become disillusioned as our earthly dreams have not come into reality. This week I read the personal account of a young man who was called to be a pastor and experienced divorce in his marriage and rejection by his church. These are his words describing his feelings. Overwhelmed with sorrow from recent events, tears flowed down his cheeks. After a long night of crying out to the Lord for deliverance, he felt alone in his grief. Where was God when the walls caved in on him he asked? Didn’t He care about the turmoil and pain? How had his dreams turned into a nightmare of epic proportions? In his search for answers, he realized that hope is more than a feeling—hope is a personal relationship with Jesus who is our Blessed Hope both now and forever. These passages of scripture became a treasured source of encouragement during the times that he struggled with insufficient finances and loneliness. He wrote out these verses and placed them where he could read them often. “You have made me see many troubles and calamities but will revive me again; from the depths of the earth you will bring me up again. You will increase my greatness and comfort me again.” (Psalm 71: 20-21) “I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living. Wait on the LORD; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart; wait, I say, on the LORD.” (Psalm 27: 13-14) As we revisit the words of Jeremiah 29: 11 we read that God will not harm us but He did not say that He would not hurt us if need be. This pastor went through many afflictions and trials as we do but God did not forsake him and was faithful to rescue him from despair and draw him near to Him. He came to this conclusion: “Was not God the One who ultimately engineered the shattering of my hopes and my current broken condition? And if that is true, then I have to believe that God’s purpose for me is still alive and well. This is not the path I would have chosen for my life, but then again, God asks us to trust and lean not on my own understanding. So it comes down to three words: I Still Believe!” Let us be encouraged wherever we are in our life journey by his declaration of hope. “Despite the shattering of my dreams, I still believe God can work His purposes through me—mine is not to wonder how or why. Despite my brokenness, I still believe in a God of healing and restoration. Despite the ugliness of my current situation, I still believe the Lord’s beauty is shining somehow and will shine in the brokenness. Despite hearing “no” to many of my prayers, I still believe He hears me and has my absolute best interests at heart. Despite the loss of all my aspirations, I still believe the Lord has wonders in store for me in this life and especially in eternity that will far exceed all my dreams. Despite the shame, regrets, and wild emotions, I still believe Christ will one day show off His righteousness in me for all to see. Despite the rejection I feel, I still believe the God of this universe loves me. Despite the fear I feel, I still believe I am safe and secure in God’s arms. He is my rock and strong tower. I STILL BELIEVE! Meditate on the words of Lamentations 3: 22-27 and know that hope is a person—JESUS!