God's good plan- Endure and Return

God's good plan- Endure and Return

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Jeremiah 29:11

Jeremiah 29:11 is a popular and often searched verse in Google. Many a times we contemplate this verse out of its context. We use it as a quick fix for all our problems. We claim this verse and desire the immediate rescue from all our sufferings.  But when we understand this verse in its context, it has much deeper and spiritual applications in our life. 

One of the crosswalk article I recently read addresses our misunderstanding of this verse. It states that - the heart of the verse is “not that we would escape our lot, but that we would learn to thrive” in the midst of it.

Here’s the context: God's people were in exile, a punishment from God as a result of their disobedience. The prophet Jeremiah confronts the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free God's people from the captivity of Babylon (Jeremiah 28:2-3) and he states Jeremiah 29:11 the promise from God. 

Imagine the plight of God's people. They are captives taken to a foreign land. They desire freedom from their captivity. They want immediate rescue. They want to return to their homeland and have all the goodness and provisions they enjoyed before. 

Does it sound similar to our current situation? How much we desire to get back into our normal life. Do you wonder how this tiny virus has extended it's reign from one state to all over the globe and made the whole human life as its captive. How much we desire to breathe the fresh air without the mask. How much more we desire to go anywhere without any fear and restrictions. Oh we pray and desire the immediate rescue. We pray for the immediate provision of the vaccine. But we don't know how long it will take. We don't know if it will be available next month or next year or so on.  

But God knows !! Just before stating the promise at Jeremiah 29:11 God says -

For thus says the Lord : After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.

Jeremiah 29:10

Wait a minute 70 years !!!. Such a long time for the rescue. When God's people are desiring for the immediate rescue, He says 70 years. God's good plan was not the immediate rescue but to make His people thrive in the midst of the suffering. We also desire the immediate rescue, the immediate answer for our prayers. But God has His own time. He visits and performs His words in His appointed time. Often in the midst of the suffering, in the midst of waiting, we feel that God has forgotten us. That's what God's people also felt. But He says I think about you. My thoughts are for peace not for evil to give you a future and a hope. Yes His good plan includes a hope for the future.

Then what should they do while they wait for God's time? God commands His people to Endure the trial and Return to their spiritual faithfulness.He commands His people- 

Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.

Jeremiah 29:5‭-‬7‭, ‬12‭-‬14

Endure the trials 

He says to build, dwell, plant, eat, increase. 

The present circumstances are not what we desire for. We desire to get back into our comfortable life. But God says to settle down where God has caused you to be knowing God's sovereignty in all circumstances of your life. He says to accept what God has allowed. He says to make the best of your life and family even in the isolation. Wherever God has placed you make it beautiful. Be a blessing where you are. Don't let your unfavorable circumstances rob you of your peace. Seek peace with everyone including yourself. He desires our increase. 

In short He says " Just Endure and thrive ".

Return to Spiritual Faithfulness

God desires His people to call upon him with a sincere heart. When they pray to Him He assures He will hear. He desires His people to seek Him more than anything else. When they seek Him with a full heart He will be found. Seeking God means seeking His presence. God's people desired to return to their homeland but God expects them to return to God's presence first. 

As they learn to thrive and endure through the unfavorable circumstances and as they return to their spiritual faithfulness God promises to deliver them. 

The unfavorable circumstances are not to destroy us. No matter where God has caused you to be, remember He knows, He thinks about you, He has a good plan, His timing is perfect. We just need to endure and return.