My dad sent me this in an email today, and it’s definitely worth remembering. Seeing as how my family is going through a pretty rough time and I feel like I’m just surviving day by day, this brings me at least a little bit of peace. It’s a devotional written by Michael Raypholtz, and it’s taken out of The Upper Room.

Jeremiah 29:11 — “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.”

When I divorced, I wondered if I had wrecked my life. Not only had I disappointed my family, but I am a pastor. I am supposed to set an example for Christian living. How could people take me seriously as a spiritual leader? How could I preach about marriage or covenant when my marriage had failed?

But Jeremiah 29:11 promises that God has good plans for us. A curious detail in that vers has caught my attention. The scripture doesn’t say “plan”; it says “plans.” The word is plural. God has more than one plan. Perhaps God has a Plan A for us; but if we mess that up, God also has a Plan B. And if Plan B doesn’t work out, God has a Plan C. And so on.

I doubt that man of us are living Plan A. And people like me may be rapidly approaching the end of the alphabet. Many people feel they have made so many mistakes that if God ever had a plan for them, it must be spoiled. But god does not give up on us. God has more than one way to give us hope and a future. Not only does God have more than one plan; God is at work to fulfill those plans.

I’ve never noticed that about Jeremiah 29:11 before, and that’s definitely one of my “life verses” that I’ve really held on to throughout my world travels and life decisions. So maybe, just maybe, you can relate to this little story and gain some peace in whatever situation or circumstance that you’re finding yourself in right now.