Context is very important to us when we study Scripture. Robert J. Morgan gives us a good summary of the context of Jeremiah that aids in our full understanding of this week's verse.
I find it interesting that God feels compelled to include the reassurance to His people that His plans are not plans to harm them. Remember that the people of Israel are currently in exile in Babylon....it would be easy for them to think that God's plans hadn't turned out all that well for them. But God is telling them that where they currently find themselves is not His ultimate and final plan for them, it is a step along the way...His plan is always a plan that brings hope and a positive future. Surely the people of Israel remembered the stories of their forefathers and the redemption of their people from the oppression of slavery in Egypt, the establishment of their nation in the promised land, the glorious reigns of Kings David and Solomon, and all of God's promises that had been given to His people. Jeremiah was reminding them of their true destiny...and it would not be as exiles in Babylon.
Does any of this apply to you in your current situation? If you are in a time when God feels far away, or your circumstances are less than what you imagined for your life, hear these words as if they were spoken to you..."Your current situation is not where My plan will leave you...in Me, you have hope and a future." The people of Israel had to endure their time of exile for the next 70 years; we aren't given time frames on our hard times. But we are give the assurance, just as in our prior verse of Romans 8:28, that God is working all things together for our good future.
Hear this promise spoken to God's people so many years ago as a fresh word to you today, for we are God's people when we hear His voice and follow Him.
Jeremiah 29 is a letter Jeremiah sent to displaced Jewish captives who'd been dragged from their homes and resettled in refugee camps in Babylon. Other prophets were claiming God would perform a miracle and deliver the nation of Judah as He'd done in the past. Jeremiah's message was the opposite, saying in effect: "The Lord will not save us this time. Our sins have so alienated us from Him that only judgment is left. And yet even the judgment of God is merciful. It may take seventy years, but God will reestablish our nation, and His ultimate plans are undeterred. His purposes are stubborn things and will win in the end." It's in this context we find verse 11.Morgan also includes a very insightful quote from Warren Wiersbe...
Verse 11 is a powerful promise to claim when you are "in exile." God thinks about you personally and is planning for you...You need not fear the future."How much of our time do we spend fearing the future? The "what ifs?" can become overwhelming when we let them. But we need to remember that if we are trusting in God for our eternal salvation, then surely we can trust Him with our earthly futures as well.
I find it interesting that God feels compelled to include the reassurance to His people that His plans are not plans to harm them. Remember that the people of Israel are currently in exile in Babylon....it would be easy for them to think that God's plans hadn't turned out all that well for them. But God is telling them that where they currently find themselves is not His ultimate and final plan for them, it is a step along the way...His plan is always a plan that brings hope and a positive future. Surely the people of Israel remembered the stories of their forefathers and the redemption of their people from the oppression of slavery in Egypt, the establishment of their nation in the promised land, the glorious reigns of Kings David and Solomon, and all of God's promises that had been given to His people. Jeremiah was reminding them of their true destiny...and it would not be as exiles in Babylon.
Does any of this apply to you in your current situation? If you are in a time when God feels far away, or your circumstances are less than what you imagined for your life, hear these words as if they were spoken to you..."Your current situation is not where My plan will leave you...in Me, you have hope and a future." The people of Israel had to endure their time of exile for the next 70 years; we aren't given time frames on our hard times. But we are give the assurance, just as in our prior verse of Romans 8:28, that God is working all things together for our good future.
Hear this promise spoken to God's people so many years ago as a fresh word to you today, for we are God's people when we hear His voice and follow Him.
1 comment:
I have spent many times worrying about the future. About future conversations and how they might "play" out - in my head. I let Satan capture my thoughts. I'm reading and learning more of God's power and He is able to quiet my mind. He brings goodness to my mind and my heart. I am not in a spot that is desirable, but God in near and close tome. He helps me through each day. God is bringing goodness into my life. He is bringing Spirit filled friends into my life. Yes, He does want me to prosper.
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