God’s Plans

Meditations on

Staying In the Grace for Today 

October 29, 2025

God’s Plans

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.

“They are plans for good and not for disaster, 

to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

Brennan Manning told a delightful story about a man taking an early morning walk with his uncle. The man noticed a smile on his uncle’s face and observed, “You look very happy.” “I am.” His uncle replied. “Why?” “Because the Father of our Lord Jesus is very fond of me.” Manning next asked his readers, “If the question were put to you, "Do you honestly believe that God likes you?" -- not loves you because theologically he must, but does He like you -- how would you answer?”

Manning’s question is like that of the spiritual director who asserts, “God loves you! How different would your life be if you actually believed that?” The truth is many of us live as functional atheists. Yes, we say we believe in God, and we even believe God loves us. But we live as though our entire life depends on our work, our efforts to secure love, acceptance and a good sense of self-worth. To this dilemma Jeremiah would add a word.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Now, the question returns: How different would our life be if we actually believed Jeremiah?

My Takeaway: I believe Jeremiah’s promise. And I believe the Apostle Paul’s take on Jeremiah’s promise: “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” (Romans 8:28) Choosing to so believe keeps me grounded in God’s grace for today.

Sē’lah

My book on prayer,

First Think, Then Pray

is now available on Amazon Kindle.

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2025 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.