Most of my life, I've heard, seen and read numerous people claim Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." as their verse. The motto for their trust and faith, if you will. They wear it, scream it, whisper it, pray it and update FB and/or twitter with it. It's the signature in emails and clung to when the world doesn't make sense.
I've been pondering this verse for a while now, and forgive me if it seems to be sacrilegious, but how does anyone know that this verse wasn't intended for Jeremiah alone? For that matter, how do we know that any of the verses written as conversation, be it as assurance or instruction, are meant for us to also take heart in?
SBC Meeting #2 - June 14 2023
10 months ago
1 comment:
Start at the beginning of Ch. 29. This verse is taken from a letter that God instructed Jeremiah to write and send to the exiles from Judah who were in Babylon. These words weren't spoken to Jeremiah, but through him, to a group of people that must have felt utterly abandoned. At least that's my understanding.
Sometimes I have a negative reaction to seeing verses like this, which have become so popular that they are used all the time (and out of context). But then I realize there is a reason they are so popular. They provide hope. This is God telling his people that he has not forgotten them. They have not been cast away to rot in Babylon. He has plans for them still.
But I think that, even if this verse had been directed only at one person, readers today would still be correct to derive hope from reading it. It's proof that God cares about his children. The apostle Paul surely believed that was true. Read Philippians 4 and see how he urges the Philippians to set aside their fears and rest in the knowledge that God will meet their needs. So if it was true then, it must be true now. Because after all, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Heb 13:8)
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