Jeremiah 29:10-14
10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Verse 11 is a well-known verse of encouragement, about how God has plans for our well-being. That is comforting, but it is also a bit disconcerting when you consider the context. The people had just been sent into exile to Babylon. Some false prophets were giving them false hope by saying that they would soon return, but Jeremiah corrects them by stating it would be 70 years before they would return (verse 10). Those depressing circumstances were the context for God declaring plans "to give you a future and a hope" (verse 11). God is not saying that things will immediately improve and we'll all be happy. He's saying that He is at work, even in the difficult circumstances, and will use this time to eventually bring about good. This is important for us to grasp when we are struggling with difficult circumstances and are hoping for an easy escape. For myself, when faced with difficult circumstances I often want to escape into sexual fantasies. For the people of Judah, it was their sin that led to these troubles, and God used this time to purify them, so that they would then seek the Lord (verses 12-14) and He would thus bring about good for them. But sometimes we have to go through the difficult times before we can reach the goodness at the other side.
Lord, help me to entrust my life to Your care.
10 “For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 13 You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Verse 11 is a well-known verse of encouragement, about how God has plans for our well-being. That is comforting, but it is also a bit disconcerting when you consider the context. The people had just been sent into exile to Babylon. Some false prophets were giving them false hope by saying that they would soon return, but Jeremiah corrects them by stating it would be 70 years before they would return (verse 10). Those depressing circumstances were the context for God declaring plans "to give you a future and a hope" (verse 11). God is not saying that things will immediately improve and we'll all be happy. He's saying that He is at work, even in the difficult circumstances, and will use this time to eventually bring about good. This is important for us to grasp when we are struggling with difficult circumstances and are hoping for an easy escape. For myself, when faced with difficult circumstances I often want to escape into sexual fantasies. For the people of Judah, it was their sin that led to these troubles, and God used this time to purify them, so that they would then seek the Lord (verses 12-14) and He would thus bring about good for them. But sometimes we have to go through the difficult times before we can reach the goodness at the other side.
Lord, help me to entrust my life to Your care.