For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the LORD’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)

Lord God,

When your people went into exile for their unfaithfulness and sin, You didn’t give up on them. For a time, they had to suffer the consequences of their sin. Life in captivity in Babylon was hard and humiliating. You humbled them to return them to You.

Lord, return us to You.
Day by day.

Lord, some days it can be hard to see our way forward. What will tomorrow hold? What will next year hold? In our world, or in our lives? We don’t know. But You are the God who knows tomorrow. You know every high and every low. There may be things we consider disaster, like COVID-19, but even in those things, You still promise a future and a hope. We have the hope of eternal life, the very best future. Sin, hopeless and end it may bring, does not have the last word; You did not abandon us because of it. You brought us so great a salvation through so great a Saviour. We find our hope in Him!

How much better to have Jesus and suffer in this world than to be without Him and gain the world with all its comforts. He is our hope, even in darkest days, for a future far brighter than what we can hope for in this life. With You, in this life, Lord, we have hope for even the darkest day, for You are our life, our light, our great comfort and confidence, and You have our well-beign at heart.

Keep our eyes fixed on Christ;
Keep our eyes fixed on eternity.

We pray this in His great name,
Amen.

As we continue to face these uncertain days of COVID-19, pray for wisdom for health and government authorities as they look toward slowly reopening things. Pray for one another, that we would know Jesus’ hope and help today.