We all know the verse Jeremiah 29:11, right? I would even say that the majority of people I know have at one point or another either claimed this as their “life verse” or have had it plastered on the wall at their graduation party. Well if you didn’t, I did. And honestly, it’s okay if that was or is you too! This verse holds so much truth within it. But I am afraid that just as I once did, many people are looking at this verse without really grasping what the Lord was saying.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you, not to harm you. To give you a hope and a future.”
For SIXTEEN WEEKS now, I have been studying Jeremiah 29:10-14. For sixteen weeks I have studied five verses as I have prepared to write a 60 page exegetical paper for my BIBL 350 Inductive Bible Study Course at school. Some of you are probably thinking that I have wasted my time. Some of you are probably thinking I am crazy. Some of you are probably asking why five verses needed sixteen weeks of my time. And this is why . . .For as long as I can remember, before I began this sixteen week study on this passage, I have quoted Jeremiah 29:11 in a way that it was not intended for. I used that scripture as a “good word” or as “personal encouragement” instead of paying attention to why the Lord said those words in the first place. I did not use this verse as truth from the mouth of GOD.
In Jeremiah 29:10-14, the Israelites had just been put into captivity because they continually disobeyed God. They were going to be in captivity for seventy years.
10 For this is what the Lord says: “When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. 12 You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.”
The Lord began speaking to them saying that once their time in captivity was over, He would restore them. He assured them of the good plans He had for them. He also told them that they need to pray to Him, seek Him, and search for Him whole-heartedly and if they do so then He will reveal His-self to them.
HERE IS MY POINT. Does God have good plans for your life? To prosper you and give you a hope and a future? ABSOLUTELY. But that’s not it! What was happening in this passage is that a group of people sinned and because of their sin, they had to face the consequences. And even in the midst of their sin and its consequences, God was still with them and forgave them but He had to let them go through a season of facing the consequences of their sin so that they could be refined through Him, to realize that they needed Him. In order for them to receive the promise God had pronounced over them, they needed to turn back to Him and seek Him. AND ITS THE SAME FOR YOU AND ME. God does have perfect plans for our lives that are for our good, but we must be aware that our sin has consequences and if we want blessings that the Lord has in store for us, we must seek after Him. Remember, even in the midst of our sin and its consequences, He is still there and He is still good. He loves us enough to allow us to go through seasons of refining and seasons where we have nothing but Him to rely only on Him.
hogannikki 