For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the Lord. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.” [Jeremiah 29.11-14]
Ah, such words of encouragement!
But what do they mean?
Perhaps they are best understood in their full context. Here are some preceding words:
This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. [Jeremiah 29.10]
The good plans God had for Israel started with seventy years of exile in a foreign land (Babylon).
In other words, tough times were pending, but God promised to help His faithful followers through it.
For the record, the tough times God's people were facing were not random, but were very much the result of disobedience (although perhaps not individually, but corporately).
I don't know how this applies to me today. However, it could have great instruction to me for what could very possibly be a similar situation. Whether it does or not is up to God. But it will not hurt me to understand what God determined was a proper response by His followers - to stay faithful during the captivity and know deliverance was coming.
Father, I want to understand clearly what You are saying to me through the history of Jeremiah and Your people Israel. Help me to learn valuable lessons for living in these days and times in which I live.
No comments:
Post a Comment