Scripture: Jeremiah 29:11 – “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” (NRSVue)
Life is confusing, terrifying, and sad. No matter how hard we prepare, something bad happens to us or to someone we love. There is a cancer diagnosis. A job or a business disappears. A child dies before a parent. When these things happen, it is comforting to realize that God has a plan, that all this suffering and uncertainty is for a reason; we just do not know it yet.
This is why these words from Jeremaih are so beloved. “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” No matter how grim things seem, God has a plan for you, and that plan is for good and for hope.
A little context is always useful when looking at the Bible. This famous verse comes from a letter that Jeremiah sends to exiles in Babylon. Quick historical recap: the kings of Judah owed tribute to Babylon, and when the king of Judah thought he could renege by making an alliance with Egypt, the Babylonians came with an army to punish him. The king and many of his court were exiled to Babylon and a puppet was put on the throne. But ten years later, the puppet himself rebelled, and this time Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and its temple, and carried pretty much anyone with property away into exile.
Jeremiah is writing to the first group, before the destruction of Jerusalem. He gives very strange advice. “Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. … 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.” The Babylonians were ruthless foes, and the people longed for deliverance. But Jeremiah advised patience, acceptance of a time or exile, and even to pray for the success of the enemy! This was long term thinking. The Israelites would find what happiness they could, knowing that God would provide justice at the right time, even if it was generations later. No matter how bad things seemed, there was hope to found in that difficult place.
I was thinking of these words when I reread the story of Jesus curing a man possessed by a “legion” of demons. Jesus drove the demons into the pigs nearby. Now the fact that the people were raising pigs is an indication to us that the people were not Jews. Those people rejected Jesus, and the healed man wanted to go with Jesus. But Jesus said, “Go home to your own people, and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and what mercy he has shown you.” These were hard words. The man could have found a home with Jesus and with people of faith. Instead, Jesus sent him back to a place where he might be ostracized or hated for preaching the truth of Jesus. But God had a plan. By preaching the gospel in a non-Jewish region, the man was planting the seeds that one day all people might know the love of God through Jesus, not just the Jews to whom Jesus taught.
God has a plan for you. It might be one of acceptance in the face of terrible suffering. It might be to serve people who hate and reject you. It might be to pray for the welfare of your enemies. It might be any number of things that are hard to accept. But God has a plan for you. And while God does not bring suffering to test us, God is always with us in our times of sorrow and always gives us hope for our welfare and joy in the future.
Prayer: Lord, grant me patience, for no matter how troubled and sad I am today, I know you have a plan of love for me. Amen.
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