God showed me this verse at a time in my life when I thought that my life had no purpose. The following is what I have learned: 

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you”, saith the Lord. 

Who is talking to me here? The Lord is…He is speaking to me. What is He saying? He is telling me that He “thinks of me”, He has plans for me. What kind of plans? Plans (thoughts) of peace (welfare) and not of evil (calamity); plans for an “expected” end…that means a future and a hope. 

Here I see that my life really does have purpose; God has a plan for my life and it’s a good plan. He is telling me that I have a future to look forward to and a hope to cling to. 

What must I do? “Then shall ye call upon Me and ye shall go and pray unto Me and I will hearken unto you.” Wow...here is God telling me that if I come to Him and pray then He will listen. 

Therefore I have a promise to claim…He, the God of all creation, has promise me that if I come to Him and pray, He will listen….. 

Last part says: “And ye shall seek me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart. “ 

Once again, my heart is challenged…my God is telling me that if I earnestly seek Him, then I will find Him (how?), by seeking Him with “all my heart”! 

So what have I learned? I have learned that God loves me; He has a plan for my life, thus giving my life a purpose; He has promised me that if I seek Him with all my heart and come to Him in prayer, He will listen to me. 

Now, what is God saying to you? 

© LBG Ministries 2001