Oh my everyone loves this verse. It’s often used as a rubber stamp over whatever we want to do in life, so we can smile about our future plans working out perfectly. Let’s dig a little deeper and see what we can learn from this favorite.
Jeremiah 29 is written for the benefit of the Jews who have been hauled off to Babylon from Judah. After all of the years of God’s chosen people thumbing their nose at Him, He is finally giving them an opportunity for growth, it’s kind of like a “time-out” for really naughty behavior.
As I read through this chapter I can see that God is telling them, while in captivity, to go make the best of their life. Go and make Babylon a better city because you are there! Pray and seek Me! You’ve got 70 years, ready, set, GO!
Just thinking about the practicality of this situation a very small percentage, if any, are going back to their homes. They are living out their days in Babylon. Now, does that sound to you like plans to prosper and not harm? Plans to give you hope and a future? Not on the surface. Not in their lifetime. Not without hardship and only in God’s time do things turn around for Israel, while they are waiting, they are to grow and be shaped and honor Him right where they are. (If you keep reading through the timeline you discover that God does fulfill this prophecy, just in case you were wondering.)
So what does this verse mean for us today? Does God give us a plan? Yes. He has a plan for us to spend eternity with Him and He has made a way for that to be possible for everyone who accepts His gift of eternal life.
Does He have a shorter term plan for our days here on this earth? I could say with confidence that I’ve seen God work out the details of His plan for my life. I would not have expected to be working full-time in ministry, years ago.
God does have a plan, but the plan isn’t all happy dances and exciting vacations. No. I see it much like this photo. He has a plan to use the colorful pebbles, sand, broken pieces of rock and mixes them to be cast into blocks that can be used to build His Kingdom. Some of those ingredients of our lives came easily and some were born out of difficulty, but they were all part of His plan to create building blocks that were useful to Him.
Does God want good for my life not bad? Sure. Remember, our troubles don’t come from God, but He does allow them at times to help us grow up and get stronger, sometimes just to see His glory. God certainly allowed Israel to be taken captive during which time they were supposed to seek God, and pray, and humble themselves and be refined by their circumstances.
How do we respond then?
First, we can study the scripture for better understanding of this love letter God has written for us to know Him, follow Him, serve Him, and share Him with others.
Secondly, when we study and seek the truth of scripture we can better understand how to live this truth out by trusting in the work God is doing in our life right where we are.
