For I know the plans…
I’ve been reading in the book of Jeremiah for most of January, and, like the month of January, this book seems to drag on and on.
Jeremiah isn’t called the weeping prophet for nothing. Talk about a downer. From my perspective, a few thousand years in the future, reading the same message for Judah and Jerusalem over and over is tedious. I get it. God’s people were messing up royally and were about to be royally punished. God sent Jeremiah to communicate this. He says Babylon is about to invade them and destroy them. But how many times do God’s people need to be told they’re screwing up and are about to get it? Well, I’m in chapter 29 right now, and poor Jeremiah has just had his life threatened, again, for saying the same message again, AGAIN. So, I’m assuming the rest of the book will be the same.
In this morning’s Bible reading, though, in Jeremiah chapter 29, I read one of the most quoted, most well-known verses in the Bible.
The verse is Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare, not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” These beautiful words feel like being wrapped in a divine hug, a bright ray of sunlight reminding us that there is a plan and there is a future and there is hope.
The only problem here is that God’s people were messing up. In a huge way. In all the ways. It was so bad, 29 chapters of this book so far have been dedicated to describing repeatedly just how bad. God had absolutely had enough. It was time to lay the smack down. And it would hurt. It was a doozy of a punishment. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was getting ready to invade. He would invade Jerusalem three times, carrying away captives like Ezekial and Daniel and their adventures would become awe-inspiring. But before that, all of Jerusalem would be shaking in their boots.
So God pauses in chapter 29 at verse 10. He interjects a message of wrath with a promise. “When 70 years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill my good word to you, to bring you back to this place.” Then He tells them about the future and the hope.
For me, this is a huge pause. It’s the first glimmer of sunshine in a gloomy book. But it’s more than that. It’s indicative of who God is, of who we are, of the entire story of creation. God chose us. We hurt Him, hurt each other, hurt ourselves, irreparably. He lays down the law and sends someone to try to guide us back to freedom and safety. We cross our arms and stamp our feet. We fall into the consequences of our actions. Then we call out to God, we seek Him; and, because of immeasurable grace and love that we can’t comprehend, God swoops in and saves us from the calamity of our own making.
God says in verse 11 He has plans for His people in Judah. He took the time to explain exactly what was happening, why it was happening, how long the punishment would last, and then reminded them of His love for them and His plan for their lives.
While He was speaking directly to a specific group of people then, I believe He holds the same truth for us today. How comforting a reminder.
Life is so full of uncertainty. Just in my little family this month has been, well, uncertain. It can be scary, but it’s also good to be reminded that we cannot depend on things we mostly take for granted to be there, remain stable, or to always get us through. We depend on God. I firmly, confidently, believe; I KNOW, that God is the absolute MASTER of making a plan come together. To us, the pieces are floating, spinning out of control, but God sees our future. He knows the plans he has for us, and all we have to do is trust His perfect timing. And I do.
In the smack middle of a dark place, or a place of uncertainty, a time of doubt or fear, God is working a plan for us. A plan for our FUTURE. A plan for HOPE. How sweet are the promises.
