I Know the Plans

¹⁰The Lord proclaims: When Babylon’s seventy years are up, I will come and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. ¹¹I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope. ¹²When you call me and come and pray to me, I will listen to you. ¹³When you search for me, yes, search for me with all your heart, you will find me. ¹⁴I will be present for you, declares the Lord, and I will end your captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have scattered you, and I will bring you home after your long exile, declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 29:10-14

Jeremiah 29:11 is probably familiar to you if you have been a Christian for any amount of time. Maybe you have heard it referenced in a sermon, seen it displayed on a wall in someone’s home, memorized it, or had it said to you when going through a hard time. It is well known for a reason. In the depths of our being, we want to know that God has a plan for us; not just any random plan, but one that will bring us peace, hope, and a future. We want to know that God listens to our prayers and will be found when we seek after God, even if our choices have led to us being carried off to Babylon.

This prophesy does not say that God is going to come immediately and rescue the Israelites from their captivity. In fact, it states quite the opposite. “the Lord proclaims: When Babylon’s seventy years are up, I will come and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.” The Israelites ended up in exile because of their choices; choices to reject God’s laws and commands, to worship false gods, to reject God and all that God stood for. The Israelites had broken their part of God’s covenant with them and were now facing the consequences: 70 years of Babylonian rule. But there is still hope because consequences are not the end of the story. Thankfully covenants are not null and void if one side breaks the agreement.

Jeremiah’s words were written to the exiles living in Babylon, those who lost their city, temple, priesthood, monarchy, and even their sense of identity. Through this prophet, God reminded the Chosen People that God’s side of the covenant with them would not be broken, even during such loss and devastation. God would not break the promise to David about a throne that would be established forever. Though all seemed hopeless for the Israelite exiles, God was still authoring the story and would bring it to completion.

Jeremiah’s prophecy is not written to us, but it is written for us. Hold onto God’s promises. No matter what you are going through, what you have done, or what has been done to you, God longs to bring you home to God’s self. The Author is still writing the same story.

Prayer:

Author of my life, remind me this week that no matter the situations or circumstances I am facing, you will not break your covenant with me. You have plans of peace, hope, and a future for me. Remind me that when I seek you, I will find you. Amen

Blessings,

Pastor Justine