Chris Ivanich
Throughout 2025, I found myself preoccupied with the idea of perspective. I started experimenting with it in small ways—parking in a different spot at work or taking a new route to familiar places just to see things differently. But the most profound shifts happened when I looked at moments of frustration through the eyes of my four-year-old daughter.
Like the one time I ate the last bite of her ice cream on a hot summer night. In her mind, the world had ended; she’d never get ice cream again. But from my perspective, I knew there was more ice cream available just 20 feet away in the freezer. Her “tragedy” was actually a momentary gap in a much larger abundance.
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
As we look at Jeremiah 29:11 through the lens of our current corporate fast, we have to ask: What is God’s perspective on our withholding?
“For I know the plans I have for you…” Before time started, God knew. He knew your name, your identity, and your favorite color. He even knew exactly what you would choose to withhold for this
fast at a church in Kingsport, TN. If He knew all of this at creation, what power does that hold for us today?
Security in the Struggle: God knew exactly where you would stumble and which day of this fast would feel the heaviest. His “plans to prosper you” were written with your weaknesses already
accounted for. You don’t have to perform to keep His favor; He “signed off” on the plan, knowing every detour you would take, yet He still sees you as His perfect child.
Purpose in the Blueprint: Since He knew you at creation, your life isn’t a series of random accidents. A set-apart life isn’t about becoming someone else; it’s about returning to the original blueprint—the specific version of you that God saw at the beginning.
When we withhold, it feels like a loss. Like my daughter and her ice cream, we focus on the “last bite” that is gone. But from God’s perspective, He isn’t taking things away to leave you empty; He is
clearing space. He is removing the distractions to make room for the “future and hope” He already has in store for you.
Today, trade your “ground-level” hunger for His “heavenly” perspective. Trust that the Architect knows exactly what He is building.
Listening Prompt
God, what do You desire to fill the space I have made by withholding?
Prayer
God, thank You for Your infinite perspective. Help me see this fast as divine preparation. I trade my anxiety for Your security, trusting that You are clearing space for the hope and future You’ve already
prepared. Amen.
