Today's Black History Month Devotional
is written by Bonnie Joe-Leonn
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah 29: 11 is probably one of the most quoted, preached, shared, dissected, loved verses in the Bible. One of my favourites anyway. But sometimes it seems hard to hang on to it when situations in our world are just not right. All kinds of questions pop up: When is this going to happen? Did you forget about me God? Is this for somebody else maybe? Why is this bad stuff happening to me?
African Heritage Month is a time to remember that we are a chosen people. Channels of wealth flowing from the "New World" to the "Old" were based largely on the cultivation of crops. Profits for a plantation owner depended on the number of labourers he controlled. The key to wealth for plantation owners was employing many labourers, while keeping costs low. Free European labourers demanded high wages. Slave labour of course, was free. Native peoples lacked genetic immunities to the in-coming diseases. Africans, on the other hand, possessed the required immunities. The natural talents of Africans met the needs of the colonists. Africans, unlike the colonists, were experienced in agriculture, livestock and raising crops.
Does Jeremiah 29:11 apply to us today? Yes, of course, God knows the plans He has for us. If you are in Christ, you can count on it. God’s plans for His Chosen People were “for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope”. The heart of the verse is “not that we would escape our lot, but that we would learn to thrive” in the midst of it. And we still thrive!
Short-term, you may suffer. But long-term, your future is co-signed with Christ. God has promised that our sins are forgiven and we stand before God justified. That’s a future for your welfare, and not for evil; a future of hope, not of despair!
Bonnie Joe-Leonn is a praise and worship team member who has played the flute since childhood. She has a solid relationship with Jesus Christ, a devoted wife and mother, a demonstrated relationship builder and career counselor who works with adult mental heath clients and youth.
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