I asked the Lord for a word for 2018 and I felt Him respond. “My faithful ones will see my promises to them fulfilled.” I immediately thought of Jeremiah 29:11, one of the most quoted out of context verses in the entire Bible.
Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare[a] and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Most people take the verse out of context, however. God declared His promise to the Israeli exiles who were held captive in a foreign land. God had warned His people that they were headed for captivity if they didn’t repent. He gave them every opportunity to return to Him and yet, the majority refused to do so. And so, they found themselves in a foreign land, held captive for 70 years. In the midst of their captivity, when all seemed hopeless, God assured them that He had not abandoned them. He had plans for them! And those plans were to bless them!
There were a faithful few who trusted Yahweh throughout the years of captivity. They held on to God’s promises. Jeremiah interceded for his nation to the point that he was willing to follow them into exile. The book of Jeremiah speaks of others who suffered greatly for their steadfast obedience and allegiance to the one true God.
I felt the Lord say, “The faithful shall see my promises fulfilled in 2018.” Many have prayed for decades to see their prodigals return home; many have prayed for a breakthrough in their families, many have prayed for healing from Chronic Fatigue and other debilitating long-term diseases, this is the year of freedom. Your steadfastness, your trust, your intercession, your childlike faith will bear fruit in 2018. Don’t give up, hold on.”
I also felt Him say, “Winter Wheat.” I am not a farmer, and my parents left their farm long before I was born. However, I do know this crop is planted in Autumn. The ground then freezes, the seeds are buried deep beneath the snow. All seems lifeless until the Spring, and the hearty wheat pushes its way up from the grave. You may have planted a crop of prayers and declarations over family to see their situations worsen and their hearts become cold. Trust the Lord of the Harvest, continue to pray. Even the hardest of soils when softened by the prayers of the Saints holds the potential of bringing forth life. He is the God who is who He says He is. He is the God who fulfils His promises.
2 Corinthians 1:20 – “ For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”
Hold on to His promises. He is the Lord of the Harvest, and it is not beyond His power to bring forth a bountiful harvest long before one could be brought forth in the natural.
Speaking of God’s promises, I was gifted one of those little promise boxes by an anonymous friend this year. You know the type where you pull out a Bible promise every day? Well, I love the thoughtful gift, but I am also a ‘read the Bible in context’ sort of gal. God loves us unconditionally, but many times, His promises carry a condition! So, I am thinking of doing a very short daily Vlog highlighting the verse I pull out of the box and put that verse into context. I talk about the idea behind the project here on my YouTube channel called Katherine Walden Ministries I also have a New Year’s Greeting for you there as well. Please subscribe to that channel and share it with your friends as I will be posting videos there.
All Bible verses, unless otherwise attributed, are from the English Standard Version (ESV).
Until Next Week
©2018 Katherine Walden
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