Part 3: Hope
Day 17: The Church as a Sign of God’s Hope to the World
Jeremiah 29:1-23
Jeremiah 29:11 is oft quoted in evangelical circles, either directly or printed on all manner of things. If you switch to shopping mode in Google and enter in “Jeremiah 29:11,” you will see the verse printed on jewelry, wall hangings, refrigerator magnets, throw pillows and key chains. You can also do an internet deep dive and watch armchair theologians complain about the overuse of the verse out of context. To be clear I think it is important to use Bible verses in context. Maybe if we had more context we might find it easier to digest the Jeremiah 29:11 wall hangers. So, what is the context of the verse?
In the book of Jeremiah there are letters to people from Judah who already live in exile in Babylon. The people of God have lived so long in the Holy Land, with its blessings and prosperity, that they are lost on how to live anywhere else. So God gives them a series of commands on how to live as exiles.
[4] “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: [5] Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. [6] Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. [7] But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
This traumatized people living in subjugation of an evil empire are commanded by God to thrive and bring about the thriving of their neighbor. God knows that if they experience blessing the whole city around them is blessed. God then tells them helping their Babylonian overlords to thrive is the plan that he has for them. He tells them that this is the way to hope and the future.
The questions for us are these, are we attempting to thrive where we are? Are we waiting for our circumstances to change to be more to our liking? Are we hoping to see our unbelieving neighbor harmed? This was not God’s intention for the people of Israel in Babylon. Maybe our hope for the future begins with thriving in our current circumstances.
A Prayer for submission to God’s will: O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that you desire of me and to accept all that you permit to happen to me. Let me only know your will. Amen.
In the book of Jeremiah there are letters to people from Judah who already live in exile in Babylon. The people of God have lived so long in the Holy Land, with its blessings and prosperity, that they are lost on how to live anywhere else. So God gives them a series of commands on how to live as exiles.
[4] “Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: [5] Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. [6] Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. [7] But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.
This traumatized people living in subjugation of an evil empire are commanded by God to thrive and bring about the thriving of their neighbor. God knows that if they experience blessing the whole city around them is blessed. God then tells them helping their Babylonian overlords to thrive is the plan that he has for them. He tells them that this is the way to hope and the future.
The questions for us are these, are we attempting to thrive where we are? Are we waiting for our circumstances to change to be more to our liking? Are we hoping to see our unbelieving neighbor harmed? This was not God’s intention for the people of Israel in Babylon. Maybe our hope for the future begins with thriving in our current circumstances.
- What life circumstance are you hoping will change right now?
- What would it look like in your own mind to be thriving?
- What are ways you can “seek the welfare of your city?”
- Who are your neighbors that you have not yet met?
A Prayer for submission to God’s will: O Holy Spirit, beloved of my soul, I adore you. Enlighten me, guide me, strengthen me, console me. Tell me what I should do; give me your orders. I promise to submit myself to all that you desire of me and to accept all that you permit to happen to me. Let me only know your will. Amen.