The Best Plans (Daily Refresh, 10-07)
Jeremiah 29:11 is a popular verse that’s often slapped onto journals, etched into coffee mugs, and printed on t-shirts.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11 NIVAnd God does have a plan for you.
God does want to bless you.
God does want to give you hope and a future.But—we should also pay attention to the original context …
In this case, God was speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah—people who’d recently been exiled to Babylon for 70 years.
The Jewish people were banished to a foreign land because of their insatiable appetite for sin. In fact, for 23 years Jeremiah had been warning them to stop rebelling against God or prepare to face the consequences.
God is patient, but He is also just.
In other words, the Jews were sent to timeout. And as you can read in the preceding chapters, God made a case against His beloved people …
They’d exploited foreigners, orphans, and widows. They’d denied the rights of the poor. They’d refused to stand up for truth or obey God’s instructions. They’d murdered the innocent and committed adultery. They’d rejoiced in doing evil and their lives were ruled by greed. They’d even built pagan shrines, sacrificing their sons and daughters in the fires. It was a dark time. And yet, somehow, God’s mercy always extends to the darkest places on earth.
That’s why, just a few verses later, God said they could seek Him and find Him, and He’d bring them back from captivity (Jeremiah 29:13-14).
That’s why he encouraged them—while in exile—to build houses, plant gardens, get married, have babies, and work for the peace and prosperity of their temporary home (Jeremiah 29:5-7).
He wanted them to know: He hadn’t forgotten them. He still wanted good for them. He still had plans to restore them.
God is serious about sin, but He’s just as passionate about redemption.
Though Jeremiah 29:11 was meant for a specific people at a specific time, God’s heart for the restoration of broken people is generationally timeless.
Even when we feel stuck in the process, God still has a plan.
We can put our trust in the God whose goal is always redemption.
My Thoughts
When I saw the verse for today, I was a little anxious about how the verse would be interpreted. Several years ago, a friend in the blogosphere who is a Messianic Jew told me the background of this verse and that it shouldn’t be used to liberally to apply to everyone at all times. Since then, I always point out the context of the verse to those using it for other purposes. I like how this exposition of the verse points out that God’s restoration and plan for redemption is for everyone and His plan for each of us is timeless. In context this verse applies to the nation of Judah at a time when they were exiled and as this author points out “in time out from God.” But we can still hold on to the promise that God does have a good plan for our lives, no matter where we find ourselves today.
I am reflecting today on the Hamas attack against the nation of Israel three years ago. So many innocents died, others captured and tortured and later died at the hands of Hamas. It is hard for me to conceive that we have a mayor of a major U.S. city who supports such an evil organization as Hamas. Such are our times. We are definitely calling evil good and good evil. It was prophesied and it is coming to pass. I think this, too, is part of God’s plan. What do you think?
