“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you,to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you” Jeremiah 29:11
Every believer loves the words of Jeremiah 29:11. These words of God speak to our heart, they motivate us to fulfill His purpose and to endure during hard times. Many have memorized this verse yet many do not know the context in which the verse is written. Understanding its background cause our hearts to praise our great God even
more.
Chapter 29 was written to the Jewish exiles living in Babylon.
Judah was there because they had willfully and rebelliously sinned
against God. Finally God, after showing the people of Judah great patience, allowed His judgment to fall. They would listen to Him and heed His words no other way. God sent the Babylonians to destroy
Jerusalem and His temple while taking many captives to Babylon. At the time Jeremiah wrote chapter 29 many false prophets were telling the people that the captives would return soon – their captivity
would not last long. Jeremiah gives the exiles the truth – they would return to the land after 70 years of captivity. (Jeremiah 29:10) . Many taken to Babylon would die there. God then gives Jeremiah the great truths of verse 11. Despite what seems awful in the moment, God
has not forsaken Israel. God will restore His people. What did God want Israel to know?
For I know the plans I have for you What shocked and made the people of Israel fearful was no surprise to God. God’s plan covers the valleys of life as well as the peaks. God is in control in the dark.
Declares the LORD Don’t miss this phrase. Judgment came because the nation rejected God’s authority over them. God tells them to remember who is speaking. He uses His covenant name – Jehovah!
Plans to prosper you and not to harm you God tells the people the purpose of His plan. We may not see His goodness in the moment but as we look back on our lives from the perspective of eternity we will see, and praise God, that His plans were designed to prosper (give us peace with Him) us, not to harm (bring us evil) us. This is the wisdom and love of a Father who trains His children to walk the straight path, the one who knows what is best for them and will do what is necessary to see His children walk in the right way.
To give you a future and a hope. God’s plans, His discipline and His blessings, all give us hope – but what is it? That we truly belong to God and are His children. Don’t mistake how important this is. When we are in hard times, God’s tests or God’s discipline, it is natural to assume God does not love us – that we are orphans and our lives are worthless. This is the devil’s lie to cause us to give up, to quit. Our hope is not just being in heaven one day with God – as important as that is. Our hope is that we live our lives so it is significant to God on this earth.
What should our response be when we realize God has a plan, a future and a hope for us?
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you Much can be said about this verse. But it is important
to note what our response should be to this truth. In the midst of difficulty and trial we know God’s love for us so we are to draw near to
Him. Abide with Him and communicate (call on) with Him . What does God promise? This Creator of the Universe bends down and
listens to our requests – tour cries are important to Him. He is our Father even during the darkest of our days.
Now For The Bad News The verse is written to Israel. The promise belongs to them and was true at the time of the Babylonian captivity just as it is now as they still look for and wait for their Messiah. Those of us in the church age should not despair, however. God does not change and his love for us is the same as His love for Israel. That is why God tells us this truth.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) This truth causes the Apostle Paul to explode with joy.
“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Never forget!