On the surface, it appeared to be perhaps the darkest time in the history of God’s people. Long before, the chosen nation of Israel had fractured into two nations, with Israel in the north and Judah in the south. The Northern Kingdom had since been conquered by the empire of Assyria. Israel’s leaders and citizens had been dragged from their homeland. Those who survived were scattered across the empire, never to return again.

And now another catastrophe. The kingdom of Judah seemed to be facing the same fate. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon had completed his conquest of Judah, and many of its people had been forcibly removed to Babylon. The future looked bleak. The situation seemed to hold little hope.

But God was not through with his people. In spite of their habitual unfaithfulness, God would let nothing stand in the way of the promise he had made long ago—a promise not just to Israel but to all people of all time. He had promised that from this nation he would send the seed of the woman, a descendant of Abraham and son of David, to save his people from their sins.

But it didn’t look that way. They were far away from their homes and looking at a future that appeared to leave no room for the fulfillment of God’s promises. As they were about to give up all hope, God spoke to them through the prophet Jeremiah: “ ‘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).

During the last nine months, our synod has faced difficult challenges. We’ve been jarred by an economy that turned dramatically and suddenly south. We’ve seen congregations struggling to carry out their missions in the face of financial difficulties and membership losses. The synod convention that meets later this month will face some very difficult, even heartrending decisions. The world we live in presents challenges to our faith and to our desire to carry the gospel to the ends of the earth. The temptation will be to lose heart and to waver in our hope for the future.