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Oft-quoted, most-underlined, and most likely to be put on a plaque or an inspirational greeting card, Jeremiah 29:11 is everyone’s favorite verse for a reason. Discover God’s good plan for a hope and a future for you, and learn to trust God’s definition of “good” above your own.
Study Gateway's First Listens: Find your next Bible study! Join host Shelley Leith as she curates first sessions of Bible studies on various themes each season, taught by some of the world’s most influential Christian authors, teachers, and pastors. To learn more, visit https://StudyGateway.com.
First Listens Season 3: Episode 1
Meant for Good
By Megan Marshman
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY LEITH: Welcome to Season 3, everyone! You’re listening to Shelley Leith, host of Study Gateway’s First Listens, where you get first listens of the first sessions on Study Gateway so you can find your next video Bible study.
We’ve just wrapped up Season 2 of our podcast, on the theme of mental health, and I must say we experienced some really special episodes last season. We heard deeply personal stories of struggle and pain, from Chris Hodges, Karen Ehman, Pete Scazzero, Rebekah Lyons, Gary Thomas, Jennie Allen, Lecrae. You’ll be interested to know that the most-listened-to episode of the season was the one by Rebekah Lyons from her study called Rhythms of Renewal, where she was very real in sharing about her struggles with anxiety. In fact, her session, Session 4, was the most-downloaded episode we’ve ever had, surpassing even our most popular episodes from Season 1, which was our New and Popular season, so that’s really saying something! All that to say – go back and catch Episode 4 by Rebekah Lyons and hear for yourself why it struck such a chord with people.
Now, on to Season 3! This season is called Key Bible Passages Everyone Should Know, and I’ll be bringing you sessions from seven Bible studies that teach through famous Bible passages, such as the Sermon on the Mount, the Fruit of the Spirit, the Armor of God, the Prodigal Son, the Promises of God, and the Lord’s Prayer. I hope that you’ll enjoy these episodes so much you’ll say, I’ve got to go watch that whole Bible study and learn about the rest of that passage!
We’re starting off our season on Key Bible Passages Everyone Should Know with the often-quoted, most-underlined verse in the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11. In fact, I’d nominate this verse as the Most likely to be put on a plaque. Jeremiah 29:11 is everyone’s favorite verse for a reason, because it tells us God’s plans are to prosper us, not to harm us – his plans are to give us a future and a hope. We love that idea, but it doesn’t always feel like the plans we’re living in are prospering us and not harming us. I’m a big fan of the bible teacher for this study, Megan Marshman. I think she is an undiscovered gem, and I’m excited to introduce her to you today, if you’ve never heard her incredible teaching before. Before we start, I want to clue you in on what’s happening visually in this session. You’ll be hearing some extended quiet music when Megan isn’t doing any talking, and during those moments, if you were watching the video, you would see a wood worker in his workshop going through many steps to work the wood and form intricate pieces and carefully join them together into what eventually becomes clear is a violin. It’s a beautiful visual metaphor for what it’s like to learn to trust God’s plans, even when you don’t know how they’re going to turn out. Let’s join Megan for Session One, called God’s Plans are Meant for Good.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
[woodworker enters]
MEGAN MARSHMAN: Our God speaks. We can't say that he doesn't if our Bibles are closed, but if they're open, we'll not only hear from God, but we'll also find him, and we'll even find his promises. Like that, even the famous ones, like, you know, Jeremiah 29:13. 29:11, the famous on is good, but what about two verses later, the one that says, "You will seek me and you will find me if you seek me with all your heart." Do you hear the promise? God can and will be found if we seek him, friends.
I don't know what you're expecting in this study, in this book, in your life, but if you're seeking him, there's a promise that he will be found by you. And if you find him, you'll have everything you need. But I love that that verse is in the context of a God who also knows the plans. So what are we to do about the plans? You see, friends, he tells us who he is, and then he invites us to trust him.
And I don't wanna stand before you and tell you in a cliche way, "Trust God, he has good plans for your life." I, too, have tried to trust myself. I, too, have let myself down. But there's hope. There's good. There's another option, one that will not disappoint, because everything God does is meant for good.
I remember a time I was in an important room for an important meeting with really important people. I was made aware of all this importance when instructed to go around and share resumes, basically proving why each of us deserved to be in the important room. Of course, the leader didn't say it so bluntly, but it was pretty obvious everyone understood the prompt, based on their responses. I remember the person to my right went first. She said something to the effect of, "I worked at so-and-so big name company for 19 years "and have done some pretty big name things "with even bigger name people, "and man, it feels good to be important." She didn't say it directly, but that's what I heard. And it was either my turn, I was ready to speak, and the next guy went, which means I'd be last, great. The lady went next, and I remember her saying something to the effect of she used to be a nobody, but was recently promoted to being a somebody, and man, it looks like it's good to have her life, and each introduction around the room sounded even more important than the previous.
Finally, it was my turn. I kept wracking my brain for something impressive. Have you ever, like, walked into a room and felt like you needed to prove yourself? Like, what do you have to offer this room? What makes you significant? And I'm wracking my brain, and the reality is, if it came down to credentials, I should have been the one serving the coffee. I quietly asked the Lord what to do. And I'll never forget, 'cause he kinda gently reminded me of that one story. Fortunately, you don't know that one story. You're about to, but I remember asking, like, "Are you sure?" And I felt this sincere nod, but friends, the reason it was scary was because that one story happened to be the story of my biggest failure, which didn't make any sense in an important room with these important people with important resumes. The
circle of eyes looked at me, waiting for my important introduction, and I obeyed God's prompting when I started with this one. "I went to jail once." Jaws literally dropped.
You see, once upon a time, the double whammy of people-pleasing and shoplifting got me in trouble. I basically gave the room an abbreviated version of that story, ending my intro with this truth. When I tried to control my own life, write my own story, and put my hope in myself, my accomplishments, my importance, I find myself disappointed, stressed, overwhelmed, maybe you can relate. You see, I'd rather put my trust somewhere else, maybe in someone else, but friends, again, I don't wanna tell you in this cliche way, "Trust God, he has good plans." I want you to know it all. I want to expose it all. Because I, too, have let myself down, but there really is good.
Everything God does is meant for good, which is why he begins this moment to those exiled in Babylon with the words through the prophet Jeremiah saying, "I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord." You know what Jeremiah 29:11 doesn't say? It doesn't say, God saying, "I know the plans and I'm planning on telling them to you." But don't we all want that? Not even just want, don't we all kind of expect that from our God?
No, no, when he introduces this invitation to trust him, he starts it with letting us know precisely who he is. Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans.” God knows the plans he has for you. And they are plans to prosper, and this was a good word for those people back then. In fact, there's a little bit of context we need to understand about the people Jeremiah was writing this letter to. See, these people were exiled in Babylon. It was some punishment from some disobedience. Basically, God's people were not living expectant, because they were really living disappointed. Maybe it was disappointed in themselves. Maybe it was disappointed in God. You see, God was not acting in the way they had hoped.
Can you relate? By the way, how do you handle it when your expectations of how God should have act don't come to pass? Or how about when you don't live up to the expectations you have of yourself?
[woodworker scenes]
Have you ever said the phrase, "I'm not where I should be by now?" You're not crazy. Jeremiah's letter to the exiles contains God's instructions for how his people are to live while they're there, maybe disappointed. This letter was written to those in Babylon. God wanted his people to know he does have a plan for their future, but in the meantime, even before Jeremiah 29:11, he instructs them to stay in the hard.
Which is, by the way, is not what they wanted to hear. They wanted freedom from the pain. In fact, that's probably why a chapter earlier, chapter 28, they loved the word from this false prophet. What was the word from Hananiah? The word Hananiah, a false prophet, brought was, "Hey, God's gonna fix things, and it's gonna be quickly, and it's gonna make your life easier." And everyone, of course, believed
it. See, God wanted, though, something else. He actually gives them a hint in Jeremiah 29:11. Not only does he give them the hint of the plans, he also gives them hope. Why? Because he'll be found in the mess, he'll be found in the heart. He says, "For I know the plans I have for you, "declares the Lord."
Again, he's not planning on telling us, necessarily, the plans, and we're not used to not knowing the plans. In fact, I remember when I worked with students, we did this student survey for all of our students, and said, okay, we wanted to understand their lives, we figured if we did an anonymous survey, maybe they'd be honest, and they were. One of the questions we asked was, "Why don't you have spiritual conversations with your parents?" One of the top answers was, "Oh, because I Google search my questions." We're not good with not knowing. We ask Google, we ask Siri or Alexa. We simply want to know, so when we hear that God says, "I know the plans," it can be very frustrating, but God wants us to know the verse doesn't stop there. Jeremiah 29, 12 to 14, God is inviting them and us to trust him, the one who knows the plans.
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY LEITH: So, to truly understand Jeremiah 29:11, we’re going to need to go on and study the next three verses as well, which Megan does in the other sessions of this Bible study. Are you enjoying this first session by Megan Marshman? If you’re curious about the woodworker building the violin, and wishing you could be seeing him, then I have good news for you! You can! We have unlocked Session One of Meant for Good on Study Gateway, so you can go there and watch the entire first session for free! Meant for Good is published by HarperChristian Resources and it streams on Study Gateway. Study Gateway is a streaming video service, and we’re the only one that has a subscription plan especially for small groups. For our First Listens listeners, we offer you an exclusive rate on our small group plan. When you use the promo code FIRST at studygateway.com, you’ll get a small group plan for up to 20 people for only $15.99/month, a 20% savings. And, for a complete experience with Meant for Good take advantage of our publisher-direct pricing on the essential Bible study guide designed to be used with the videos. You’ll get the group discussion questions and leader materials, the Scripture text and key ideas, and personal Bible study and reflection exercises to do between sessions. Get all the details at Studygateway.com.
And now, back to Megan Marshman.
[woodworker scenes]
[MUSIC PLAYING] MEGAN MARSHMAN: While we may not know what the plans are, and God may not ever plan on telling us the plans until they happen, we can know something about the plans. In fact, we have this book in the Bible called Romans. Romans is written by a guy named Paul. Basic back story on
Paul, Paul used to hate Christians. Then he meets Jesus face to face, and his entire life changes. That reminds me that God can do whatever he wants with whomever he wants, whenever he wants to do that thing. That's not just for you, that's also for the person you may have counted out a long time ago.
Let me just remind you, don't stop praying. God can do whatever he wants with whomever he wants whenever he wants to do that thing. So he did that thing with Paul. Paul writes the book of Romans, giving the sweeping overview of the entire Biblical narrative. In Romans 8:28, we find out a little bit about these plans that God has, and how they truly are meant for good as he writes this. Romans 8:28, "And we know that in all things," which by the way, includes all the things, "God works for the good for those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." And of course, we have to read the next verse, what we're going to continue to find out is the best verses, the context makes it even more rich.
See, in Romans 8:28, he talks about the fact that everything God does is meant for good, but then, in Romans 8:29, he defines good very differently than we do when he says this. "For those God foreknew he also predestined." Don't get tripped up on that word. It just means predestined. "To be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters." So, what's the definition of good? God's definition of good is to form you more into the likeness of Christ.
You see, it's very easy for us to say, "God's plans are good," and then use our definition of good. And what's our definition? Comfortable? Maybe easier? Happy? Convenient, successful, rich? That might be our definition, but God says all his plans are meant for good, and his definition is, "Hey, the good I'm planning on doing in you is to form you more into the likeness of my son, Jesus." And Jesus's life was not easy, which tells us something about these good plans God may have.
See, God's good plans are not exempt from trial. And it's found all throughout scripture. Think about it. God didn't rescue Noah by stopping a flood. No, he rescued him right in the midst of the waves. God didn't save Daniel from a lion's den. He still went in there. He saved him right with the beasts at his side. God didn't save Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from a fire, he saved them in it, and even joined them in it. Friends, are you in the desert/wilderness/fire/lion's den/feel like you're drowning…do not believe God is angry with you because you're there. God is not saving you from trials, he's wanting to transform you through them. That's the good plan. I don't just know this from scripture. I know this from my own life.
You see, I got caught, thank God I did. See, I got caught thinking the plan was impressing people, and I'd spent all this time and energy pleasing all of these people. But how is his plan meant for good for me? How was I formed more into the likeness of Christ? Well first, when I went to jail, my parents had bailed me out, and I still remember the moment, walking out of the jail cell, knowing that my parents fully knew everything I'd ever done. Imagine people around you really knowing everything you'd ever, you
can image what that felt like. And I remember being fearful. And I remember putting my head down, the doors swinging open, and I knew my parents were right there, and I walked, and I'll never forget my mom's posture as she just couldn't wait to hug me. And friends, this picture was precisely what I needed, because it wasn't just a picture of my mom's arms, friends, it was a picture of Jesus's grace.
And I remember looking at my mom and saying, "I don't deserve that." And she just hugged me anyways, like a mom would, you know? I said, "Mom, I don't deserve this." And she just kept hugging me and holding me tight. And my dad leaned in with one of the most profound words that I needed to hear in that moment when he whispered, "Oh, my girl, you never did deserve it."
[woodworker scenes]
You see, I went to jail so that I could understand that in life, I need to walk into the loving, precious, gracious arms of Jesus. I got to experience it through my mom. And now I get to make that same invitation to others. See, God did not save me from my sin. He actually saved me for a purpose. In fact, when I got caught, I still had consequence, 'cause there still is consequences for our actions. I remember standing before a judge, and he said, "I'm gonna do something I've never done before." And I thought, that's either really good or not good. I stood before the judge, and he said, "Here's what you're gonna do in response. I'm gonna have you speak publicly to local schools about decision-making." My consequence led me to becoming aware of my greatest gift.
Friends, your past will either be Satan's greatest weapon against you or God's most powerful tool. My jail story is how I became a speaker and why I'm even standing before you today. Friends, it's not how I would want to start off this Bible study, but I believe that this scripture is true, and I gotta start where I want you to begin. Because the truth is, God won't meet you where you're not. He's only gonna meet you where you're at, so you might as well start there. And there are a lot of lies you've come to believe. And the lie, "I'm not good enough." Here's the surprise. That's not one of them.
[woodworker scenes]
The lie you're believing is that you have to be good enough on your own to be important. And I'm here to tell you, God knows the plans. They're really good. While they may not be exempt from trial, he'll use it all. And he'll invite you into something big through it if you'll let him. And your obedience and trust in God and his plans may just lead you to being part of God's good plan for someone else.
[woodworker scenes]
[MUSIC PLAYING] SHELLEY LEITH: Are you believing the lie that you have to be good enough on your own to be important? I hope you hear the assurance that God knows the plans he has for you, and they’re
really good. You have just enjoyed a first listen to the first session of Meant for Good a video Bible study by Megan Marshman, published by HarperChristian Resources and streaming on Study Gateway. And, if you go to StudyGateway.com, you’ll find this first session of Meant for Good is unlocked, and accessible to you to watch, in its entirety, for free!
Here at Study Gateway you can find your favorite authors, pastors and Bible teachers, all in one place. We’re the only streaming video subscription service that offers a small group-sized plan, AND has user-based pricing for churches, no matter what the size. And don’t forget, you can use the promo code FIRST to get a 20% savings on a small group plan, and that discounted rate lasts as long as you keep your subscription!
With Study Gateway, you also get a direct link to our store, where you get publisher-direct pricing on the essential Bible study guide for Meant for Good. This study guide is another thing I wish you could see right now – every lesson uses a different visual format, so you might be building the levels of a house, or reading the Scriptures embedded in big drops of water, or rating your mood on a scale of emojis. It’s a very engaging study guide, and it’s essential to helping you get the most out of this study. Is Meant for Good going to be your next study? Get started right now by going to studygateway.com, click start free trial, choose the monthly small group plan, and use the promo code FIRST for your 20% discount.
Make sure you rate and review this podcast so other people can find this show too. And come back next week for our next episode in the season on Key Bible Passages Everyone Should Know. Episode 2 is on the Fruit of the Spirit, and we’re going to be hearing from Matt Brown in his study called Truth Plus Love. See you next time on Study Gateway’s First Listens.
[MUSIC PLAYING]