Rejoice in the Mess

Jeremiah 29:11

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Our text for today is Jeremiah 29, verse 11,

For 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. (Jeremiah 29:11)

When I first began my ministry, I have a very vivid memory of sitting into my office and receiving a phone call. I answered the call, it was from another pastor. He was serving a couple of states over from where I was, and he had a request. He had a woman who was down in my part of the country receiving treatment for cancer. And she had gotten some news. She had gotten some news that her time of grace was about to come to an end, and he asked if I would go and visit with her, talk to her. I, of course, agreed, and as I made my way to the hospital, I found myself becoming more and more nervous. I had at that point all but 6 or 7 weeks of experience as a minister. And I’m going to this woman, what, what do I say? What comfort can I offer her?

My hands shaking, nervous as I make my way down the hallway, I entered the hospital room and I see her. She’s sitting there. Her body clearly has been ravaged by cancer, but she’s reading a devotion and she has a smile on her face. And I visit with her for a couple of hours. And I realized something as I made my way back to church, it was her who had comforted me, her who had blessed me. She had the words that I needed to hear and not the other way around.

So how can it be? How can it be that somebody in this situation that is difficult and painful and messy can have that kind of hope? Well, it’s because she trusted the words that we had in our lesson today, that the Lord had a plan for her to give her a future, and that future she understood was heaven.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a similar situation to that woman I visited. Maybe you found yourself in a hospital bed not knowing if you would make it out. Maybe you’ve had a messy breakup. Maybe you’re struggling with financial things. It’s easy to look around and see that the world is messy. And oftentimes we think, Where is God? Why is God not helping? Why is God allowing for this mess to take place? God can work through messes. He can work through your mess. Think of the crucifixion. Think of Jesus hanging on the cross. Think of of the women weeping and the people hurling insults. That is a messy situation. But God worked through it. He worked through it in the most profound and the most beautiful way. He worked through that mess to bring you salvation.

So we rejoice in the mess with the confidence that God is using it for his purposes and for our good. Amen.