Jeremiah 29:1-14: a reflection

1Now these are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, to the prophets, and to all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon, 2(after Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths had departed from Jerusalem), 3by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon). It said: 4The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5“Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6Take wives and father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and don’t be diminished. 7Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace.” 8For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you. Don’t listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. 9For they prophesy falsely to you in my name. I have not sent them,” says the LORD. 10For the LORD says, “After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11For I know the thoughts that I think toward you,” says the LORD, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. 12You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13You shall seek me and find me, when you search for me with all your heart. 14I will be found by you,” says the LORD, “and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you,” says the LORD. “I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.”

In a letter to his people in the bitterness of exile, God speaks a word that has comforted his people ever since: he has good plans for them, even there. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, God says, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. His people were in exile, carried far from home, their circumstances hard; and yet God assured them that his purposes toward them were good, thoughts of peace and not of evil, a future and a hope. Even in their hard circumstances, God had not abandoned his good intentions toward them; he was working toward their welfare, their restoration, their future. God's plans for his people are good even when their circumstances are hard; his intentions toward them are of peace, hope, and a future, even in exile. Even in hard circumstances, God's purposes toward his people are good. His thoughts toward us are of peace, to give us a future and a hope, even when the present is hard.

Notice when God speaks this word of good plans: to his people in exile, in hard circumstances. He does not assure them of good plans only when things are going well; he speaks these thoughts of peace and a future to people carried away captive, far from home, in the midst of hardship. Even there, God assures them, his purposes toward them are good, of peace and not of evil, to give them hope and a future. This is a striking comfort: that God's good intentions toward his people are not suspended when their circumstances are hard, but continue even in exile, even in difficulty. God is working toward their welfare even when the present is bitter. This does not mean the hardship is not real, or that it will vanish at once; God's word was that the exile would last seventy years. But even through and beyond the hardship, God's plans for his people were good. When our circumstances are hard, God's purposes toward us are still good; he has not abandoned his good intentions. His thoughts toward us remain of peace and a future, even in exile. Hard circumstances do not mean God's plans for us have turned to ill.

That is worth resting in, for God has good plans for his people even in hard circumstances, thoughts of peace and a future. When our circumstances are hard, we can fear that God's purposes toward us have turned to ill, that he has abandoned his good intentions; but God assured his people in exile that his thoughts toward them were of peace and not of evil, to give them hope and a future. Even in difficulty, God's plans for his people are good. Hard circumstances do not mean God's intentions toward us have soured. When your circumstances are hard, remember that God's plans for his people are still good, thoughts of peace and a future, as he assured the exiles. Rest in the truth that God has good plans for his people even in hard circumstances, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give hope and a future, as he assured his people in the bitterness of exile that he knew the thoughts he thought toward them; for God's good intentions toward his people are not suspended when their circumstances are hard but continue even in exile and difficulty, so that hard circumstances do not mean his plans for us have turned to ill, and even when the present is bitter, his purposes toward us remain of peace, hope, and a future.

Lord, in a letter to your people in the bitterness of exile, you speak a word that has comforted your people ever since: you have good plans for them, even there. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, you say, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future. Your people were in exile, carried far from home, their circumstances hard; and yet you assured them that your purposes toward them were good, a future and a hope. Even in their hard circumstances, you had not abandoned your good intentions toward them. Show me when you speak this word of good plans: to your people in exile, in hard circumstances. You do not assure them of good plans only when things are going well; you speak these thoughts of peace and a future to people carried away captive, in the midst of hardship. Even there, you assure them, your purposes toward them are good. This is a striking comfort: that your good intentions toward your people are not suspended when their circumstances are hard, but continue even in exile. You are working toward their welfare even when the present is bitter. This does not mean the hardship is not real; but even through and beyond it, your plans for your people were good. Let me rest in that, for you have good plans for your people even in hard circumstances, thoughts of peace and a future. When my circumstances are hard, I can fear that your purposes toward me have turned to ill; but you assured your people in exile that your thoughts toward them were of peace and not of evil. Hard circumstances do not mean your intentions toward me have soured. When my circumstances are hard, help me remember that your plans for your people are still good, Lord, thoughts of peace and a future, as you assured the exiles that you knew the thoughts you thought toward them.