God with us - Week 19: Jeremiah 29:11
If you'd rather watch than read then there's a video clip at the end of the blog!
According to www.biblestudytools.com, Jeremiah 29:11 is the second most read and searched for Bible Verse on their website, with John 3:16 taking the top spot. It’s easy to see why these words of hope and assurance are so popular.
"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."
Jeremiah 29:11
Like many couples, we chose these words for our wedding day, and while typing, I can see them pinned on the noticeboard in front of me. I took these words to mean that everything was going to fall into place, and God’s cunning plan would finally come to fruition. I think many of us pull Jeremiah 29:11 out of its surroundings and take it as a message that everything will be okay if we keep going and stay faithful!
And yet, a simple google search shows that this verse is full of contradictions.
Click the shopping tab, and there’s an array of beautiful Christian gifts with words of hope written in brush lettering.
Click the video tab, and the first Youtube clip that appears has the title, ‘The Most Misinterpreted Verse in the Bible.’
As is always the case, delving into the context of this verse is essential if we are to consider its relevance to our lives today. Jeremiah 29 is a letter written to the exiles in Babylon around 597BC. Daniel and his friends had already been taken during the first Babylonian attack in 603BC. A further invasion had led to the exile of many skilled workers and those who could read and write. Babylon was known for taking the cream of the crop and assimilating them into their society.
The people of Israel desperately wanted to know when all this was going to be over. They clung to the words of the false prophet Hananiah who promised in Jeremiah 28 that within two years, they would be back home, safe in their own beds. Hananiah told the people what they wanted to hear, and his words gave them hope, but they were not from the Lord. Jeremiah was left to set the record straight.
“Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies.”
Jeremiah 28:15
When we’re facing a long stretch of difficult circumstances, it’s easy to jump onto the words of hope offered by people like Hananiah.
It’ll all be over soon!
You just need to have faith!
If you pray enough, then God will answer!
Name it and claim it!
All of these things might be true as God does see our struggles and hear our prayers, but Jeremiah 29:11 isn’t offering the same guarantees peddled by Hananiah.
At the start of Jeremiah’s letter, he tells the Israelites to settle down as they’re probably going to be there a while. Not the news they wanted to hear! He tells them to build houses, set up a vegetable garden, get married, have children, and watch their grandchildren grow up. None of this is the two-year deal offered by Hananiah. Jeremiah encourages them to look at the difficult situation they face and pray “peace and prosperity” for everyone involved (Jeremiah 29:7). It’s only after Jeremiah has challenged them to trust God in their current situation that he shares God’s hope for the future. When seventy years are over, that’s when God’s plans of hope will come to fruition.
When we face times of challenge, we want the Hananiah quick fix that Jeremiah 29:11 appears to offer. It’s the option I’ve often prayed for, but God has never promised us an easy ride.
He promises to remain with us in the middle of our difficulties, however long they may last.
He promises to help us grow and move forward despite our situation, just like the Israelites did.
He promises to hear our prayers for peace and prosperity for all involved in the challenges we face.
And then he loving says…
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Eternal, “plans for peace, not evil, to give you a future and hope—never forget that.”
Jeremiah 29:11
Kay Moorby
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