For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. ¹² Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. (Jeremiah 29:11-12)

Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ the Lord and Savior. Amen.

As we face the beginning of another school year with almost as much uncertainty as the last one ended, we are reminded that God has a plan. We usually do not understand it, but He has a plan. We wait with patience for God’s plan to be revealed to us. We wait with hope knowing that whatever that plan is – it is for our welfare, not for harm.

The wise man wrote, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) God created time and continues to be at the helm of all time. Amidst all the uncertainty and turmoil of our time, we are constantly reminded that God alone knows the plan or the timing. We trust in His promise to us.

We trust in God. We bolster one another in faith. We hear God’s promises. We experience God’s consolations. We lift our voices together in pray confident that God indeed hears those prayers. When our hearts grow weary, we lean on the community of brothers and sisters in Christ and cling to Christ Himself. As is written in the letter to the Hebrews, “Let us hold fast to the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who has promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23) We share that mission together. We remind one another of God’s everlasting faithfulness.

Pray together. Cry together. Rejoice together. Praise together. Know that the Lord God Almighty is with you now and always.  The grace and peace of God which surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

In Christ,

Pastor Carla

When the cares of my heart are many,
    your consolations cheer my soul. (Psalm 94:19)