Hope and A Future (Jeremiah 29:1-14) HOPE

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.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:11-13

Jeremiah 29 contains a letter from Jeremiah, writing as the Lord’s prophet, to the exiles in Babylon.| WATCH ON YOUTUBE

The Israelites were in Babylon by the will of God, because of their rebellion. But exile didn’t mean that God forgot about them or wanted to destroy them. They would be in Babylon for a long but defined time, seventy years. And in that time God wanted them to settle in and make the best of their lives. God wanted the Jewish people to multiply. They were to do good, pray for and be a blessing to their Babylonian neighbours. 

God reminds them of His own thoughts toward these exiled Jews in Babylon. For these exiled Jews, it was easy to think that God was against them; that He intended evil for them. But the Lord assured them that His thoughts toward them were of peace. In His heart and mind, God had a future and a hope for them, even in their exile. 

The Lord promises to listen to them when they pray and seek Him. Their seeking and God being found, and the fact that God would bring them back from captivity was part of their future and hope. 

The devil works hard to rob us of our hope in God’s future for us. What will you do to trust and seek God today?

Thank you, Lord, that you remember me. Help me seek you daily, I pray.

Extended Reading — Jeremiah 26-29

Read through the Bible in One Year: CLICK HERE

Links to Related Resources
Bible Gateway | Enduring Word | Bible Study Fellowship | FRMS YouVersion Plans