Peace in the Present, Hope for What’s Ahead
Adapted from a sermon delivered by Charles H. Spurgeon on May 29, 1887. Updated for today's readers by K.L. 'Wyatt' Tokar.
Peace Declared in the Midst of Captivity
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord,
“thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
(Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV)
There are times when we are so surrounded by hardship that we begin to wonder whether God has turned His face from us. In our pain, we cry out. In our confusion, we search for clarity. Yet, even in our darkest valleys, the Lord speaks peace.
The people of Israel, taken captive and carried away to Babylon, sat in that foreign land disheartened and displaced. But to them, the Lord sent this message: His thoughts toward them were still thoughts of peace, not evil. He had not abandoned them.
This verse, so often quoted, takes on deeper meaning when understood in the context of sorrow. These were not empty words spoken in good times. They were an anchor dropped into the midst of the storm.
And so it is with us. God does not wait until our peace is restored to declare His plans; He speaks them right into the chaos. His thoughts toward us remain peaceful, intentional, and full of hope, even while we wait for the fulfillment.
His Thoughts Are Higher, Yet Never Far
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways," declares the Lord.
"For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts."
(Isaiah 55:8-9, NASB 1995)
We must confess that our understanding is limited. We interpret our surroundings by what we see and feel, but God perceives with eternal vision. The Israelites couldn’t see the end of their captivity, but God saw their restoration.
We, too, struggle to see past our present pain, but God sees what we cannot. He is not passive. His thoughts are active, powerful, and tender toward His children.
When we feel most confused, it is often because we try to bring God down to our level of comprehension. But the Lord reminds us that His ways are higher. Not cruel, not indifferent—just higher.
And with that elevation comes a broader view, one that accounts for every outcome and weaves every sorrow into a greater good.
In Seasons of Waiting, Faith Must Hold the Line
"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness,
but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance."
(2 Peter 3:9, NKJV)
It is one thing to receive a promise and another to wait for it. The Israelites waited seventy years before seeing the restoration God promised. Seventy years of silence, longing, and wondering if the message from Jeremiah was still true. Yet God's delays are never His denials.
He is patient—not in forgetting us, but in working His purpose to perfection.
We often demand answers on our timeline, but the Lord works through waiting. Faith is stretched, character is refined, and idols are stripped away. This waiting is not wasted. It is the soil in which endurance and trust are planted. And in that stillness, we begin to see that peace is not only a destination—it is a companion along the journey.
When Peace Guards Us in the Fire
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you."
(Isaiah 43:2, NKJV)
“Peace is not the absence of trials, but the presence of God in them.”
Just as He walked with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fire, He walks with us in our furnace of affliction. This peace defies logic. It calms a racing heart, anchors a wavering soul, and steadies trembling hands.
This promise does not remove the river or the fire; it simply assures us that we will not be overtaken. God never promised immunity from trouble, but He promised His presence in it.
And His presence is peace.
When the world falls apart, He holds us together. When the fire rages, He shields us with unseen grace.
The Hope Beyond This Present Pain
"And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying,
neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."
(Revelation 21:4, KJV)
The "expected end" that God promised Israel was not just their return to Jerusalem; it pointed to something far greater. There is coming a day when all suffering will be erased, all pain undone, and all we have endured will be seen in light of eternity.
This is the great hope for every believer: that the sorrows of today will be swallowed up by the glory of forever.
Every loss, every tear, every unanswered prayer—none of it is wasted. They are seeds of eternity, preparing us for a kingdom that cannot be shaken. Our God, who has anchored us in His thoughts, will anchor us in His kingdom. And the peace we now taste in part will flood our souls in full.
God's Plans Are Unshakable, Even in Our Weakness
"And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God,
to those who are the called according to His purpose."
(Romans 8:28, KJV)
This is the assurance that steadies us: not that we can understand God’s ways, but that we can trust His heart. When life shatters our expectations, when pain redefines our path, we can lean on this unwavering truth: He is working all things together for good.
Our failures, our frailty, our waiting seasons—He uses them all. He turns ashes into beauty and mourning into praise. What seems like delay is often divine design. What feels like ruin is often the refining of something far more glorious.
If God has spoken peace over your life, then no storm can erase it.
Anchored by His Thoughts, Carried by His Peace
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the Lord,
“ thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
(Jeremiah 29:11, NKJV)
God's thoughts are not distant abstractions. They are personal, directed toward you, and rich with intention. They are thoughts of peace—in your present, in your pain, and in your process. And they are thoughts of hope—for your tomorrow, your eternity, and every hidden place in between.
We are not forgotten. We are not aimless. We are not held captive by chance.
We are held firmly by a loving Father whose thoughts are always moving toward us in grace. And when we cannot see the end from the beginning, we look to the One who can—and find rest in knowing His thoughts have already gone before us.
About This Message
This message was originally delivered on Lord's-Day Morning, May 29, 1887 by C.H. Spurgeon, at the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Newington, under the title “God's Thoughts of Peace and Our Expected End”
This version has been carefully updated for today’s reader by K.L. ‘Wyatt’ Tokar, with the aim of preserving the spirit and message of the original. These updates are offered with the prayer that the timeless truths once spoken by Spurgeon might continue to reach hearts in need of grace, encouragement, and hope.
Scripture quotations marked NKJV are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked NASB 1995 are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. www.Lockman.org.