“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)
In January of 2014, I challenged the campers attending our winter camp to memorize this verse from Jeremiah. Over the course of three days they worked on their memorization in between hot chocolate, sledding, and snow GaGa. It was a great weekend together and most of the participants got the verse down. Returning to this verse in 2015, I am again struck by the powerful meaning that the prophet says on behalf of the Lord, “For I know the plans I have for you.”
God has a plan for all of us. You, me, Camp DeWolfe, everyone and everything else. I find it so important to grasp and understand this simple yet profound idea that God is taking us somewhere and that He has already designed the destination. We have our own ideas and plans, however I’m often thinking that they might get in the way when compared to the plans of our God, the one holding the universe together.
Looking into 2015, my deepest prayer is that Camp DeWolfe, our staff, volunteers, summer campers and retreat guests, all of us, learn to better trust in the Biblical truth that God has a plan for us. God continues in the verse, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”. How amazing is it that we have a God who promises us a future of hope! This world is in desperate need of people who can claim the identity of being truly loved by our God. Part of what Camp DeWolfe does as an organization, is to try to bring an awareness of God’s amazing love and then provide the opportunity to respond to God’s leading.
I find that as the more I reflect on His love, all the things I worry or worry other people about in the routine day to day, fade away. Often, just the space to sit quietly is all we need to remember that God is in control. So why do we come back to Jeremiah in 2015? The answer is because if we forget its truth, we also forget who God created us to be. God has all the plans, He directs our steps and we follow Him.
If you know anything about Camp DeWolfe recently, it’s that there are always plans on top of plans around here! New programs, buildings being renovated and lots of retreat guest weekends are all good things. And while I do think God calls us to work hard and diligently, He wants nothing more than for us to be with Him, trusting in Him alone. So yes, I do trust that God has plans to prosper His camp and each of us, and to give us hope and a future. When we put a new trust into this reality each new day, God changes you, me, everyone and everything. So let’s be with Him and know His plans together in this new year!
In Christ,
Matt Tees
Camp Director
God’s plans for 2015