Reflections on Jeremiah 29:11

Reflections on Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11 (ESV)

This verse from the Old Testament is one of the most well-known and profound verses in the Bible. And, while it is all these things, it is also, I believe, one of the most taken out of context verses. Most people take this verse and apply it to any bad situation in life. But if one was to consider the context of this verse, they would be able to see the true beauty of what God was saying to His people. The people of Israel had been given into the hands of the Babylonians in the late sixth century. The people of Israel were enslaved and were helpless as they had been taken from their Promised Land due to their disobedience. Then God speaks through the prophet Jeremiah these beautiful words from the twenty-ninth chapter of the book.  He reminds His people that, though they have been taken from the Promised Land, He still has plans for them, good plans for their future. The people of Israel were in the lowest state that they could be in, and in all of it, God, being the great Father He is, reminds His people that He is still in control and has great things in store for them. God is displayed in this book as a loving Father who is punishing His children because He loves them, and while they are in such a lowly state, He reminds them that He loves them and displays His unending love for His people.

                So what does this mean to us today? How could we possibly apply this to our lives? Have you ever been disobedient to God? I’m talking about a state so low that you were afraid you would never get out and that God couldn’t forgive you for what you did. Even in those times God is doing a work in our lives. He wants us to know that, while our disobedience led us to our lowly state, that His love will lift us up out of it.  I’ve been there. I have run from God even though I have a personal relationship with Him. It is in those times that God has to discipline me and then remind me that as His child there is a future for me. So if you have run from God or just ignored Him in disobedience, come to Him with a repentant heart, and He will be merciful to forgive you and remind you that He has an awesome future for you in spreading His gospel throughout all the nations.