Jeremiah 29:11

So today I wanted to start off by writing about one of my favorite verses. For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope Jeremiah 29:11 (NKJV).

This verse came into my life at a time that I was depressed and ha lost sight of what God had in store for my life. It was a verse that over the years I began to read more and more. As I studied this verse I came to realize that this verse does not mean at all what we typically think that it means.

The heart of this verse is not about escaping our lot in life, but rather thriving in it.

At the time that Jeremiah was a prophet the Israelites were in exile, a punishment from God as a result of their disobedience. Jeremiah confronts the false prophet, Hananah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in tow years (this never happens).

Jeremiah calls out Hananiah's lies, and then states the promise we read in 29:11. God does indeed have a good plan for the Israelites, and its is a plan that will give them hope and a prospering future.

The things is, before he shared this promise, he gives them this directive from God: "seek peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because  if it prospers, you too will prosper." (29:7)

This is not what the Israelites wanted to hear. They wanted to be told that they were going to go home. They wanted to be told that their suffering was going to end. Instead, God's plan was for them to stay right where they were, and to help prosper the nation that enslaved them!

The biggest blow comes in verse 10, God says that he would fulfill this "after seventy years are completed in Babylon." This meant that none in the current generation of Israelities would ever return to their home. What a blow that had to be!

These Jewish people had disobeyed God in every way. Did they think that they were going to get away with that so easy?

The context of Jeremiah 29 is exile. Jeremiah who rebukes Hananah and predicts  his death, reminds the Israelites that their exile was to continue. Relief would eventually come, but not swiftly. He encourages them to marry and bury, to plan vineyards, to seek the prosperity of their current place.

We too look for a better kingdom. As exiles and aliens of this sin-darkened earth, God doesn't call us to escapism, but to find resilience in the midst of our trials. God gives us holy hope that this life is not all there is. Our suffering here means something. It helps us long for a better country, a better place..

Of course God knows the plans he has for us. And ultimately He will give us a glorious future. Let us remember that the best growth comes through persevering through trials, not escaping them entirely. And when we learn perseverance, we find surprising joy.

Jeremiah 29:11 is not reassuring because it means God will shower us with only success and blessings in life, but it is reassuring because it means God has a purpose for suffering.

Today in the midst of difficult situations, God wants us to know He has a plan. He also wants us to know that as we submit to His plan that He desires to use us to bless the world around us. The key still remains during both good and difficult times: You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.

How does God want you to trust His plan in the midst of life's daily difficulties? How does God want to use you to be a blessing to others?

No wonder I love this verse so much. It is all about who God is going to use the suffering that I am going through for his glory. He is going to take my bad and turn it into good. That is an amazing thought.

So in the midst of life's trials remember that God is going to use that trial for good. Thank him for what you are going through. God will use that trial as a blessing along your way.