“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah 29:11 is my life verse. It’s one of the promises of the Lord that I’ve held onto most in my life. Regardless of what today looks like, tomorrow there is hope and a future planned for me. And, however hard my current moment is, it is not intended to harm me but to prosper me.
Many people view hope as the overly optimistic thinking that everything is rosy and beautiful. However, for me, this scripture and the concept of hope have been my lifeline when things can’t seem to get any worse, yet they do. It’s my reminder that even in the middle of a rugged, barren, and cracked desert, sometimes there’s a spring of living water flowing from the ground.
It Might Not Be Yet
When the prophet Jeremiah penned these words, Israel was in captivity in Babylon. God’s people were anxious for deliverance. This message to Israel was to encourage them that God did have a victorious and freeing plan for them….but not yet. They would have to complete 70 years of captivity before the fulfillment of this promise came to pass. Hope is often the same for you and me, especially in this foster care and adoption journey. The promise is true….but it might not be yet.
Trust in the vision that God has given you for your journey. Hold onto the hope of becoming a foster family that has been planted like a seed in your soul. Just know that the timing is His and not yours to control. I envisioned our girls being best friends, sharing in everything, loving each other, and becoming great confidantes. There were many times along the way, as they were bickering, backbiting, and unfriending each other (and me) on Facebook, that I wondered if I would ever see the day that my hope sprang true. Today, nearly two decades after the start of our journey, I can see that hope coming to pass in many of my girls. I’m living in God’s good plans for me in this journey, but it didn’t happen immediately, and much is still in the works.
Prayers of Hope For Becoming a Foster Family
Your path to the vision of your heart coming to fullness may be decades in the making. Are you ready to allow the Lord to lead you on a long road? What do you envision about your family dynamics and future? Can you lay it down and allow God to shape the story? Here are a few prayer starters to help you seek God more deeply:
- Lord, thank you for your promises. In You I know that I can have a confident hope for my family’s future. Please give me the strength to trust you in the waiting.
- Plant a vision for my family in my heart, Lord. Help me to write down and make plain the Word that You have spoken to my heart for my family and our purposes.
- Please give me the wisdom to wait patiently as you work out everything for my good.
As you step forward in the hope of becoming a foster family, trust that the Lord has good things in store for you, but prepare yourself for the road ahead.
©2024 Pam Parish. Used with Permission.
