“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
This passage has so much meaning for me. It was probably the first verse besides John 3:16 I was able to memorize. Shortly after I discovered its overuse for almost every religious graduation card and its misuse in almost every religious merchandise. If you’ve frequented a Christian bookstore in the past (not sure if those are around anymore) you have most certainly seen a t-shirt, a bookmark, a coffee mug, a bumper sticker, an etched glass wall mirror, and a massive area rug with the words from Jeremiah 29:11 printed directly on it. It’s a fantastic verse that offers promise and hope, but unfortunately somewhere along the line the meaning has been lost.
As the book states, this passage was written to the Jewish exiles who were removed from their home and sent to live in Babylon against their will. Chris mentions that the Jewish people who were exiled weren’t too fond of Jeremiah since he was the one who had foretold of this inevitable captivity.
Jeremiah 29:11 has been used to encourage graduates, people struggling with their vocation, or those who are simply trying to figure out the will of God in their lives. Now, it’s not to say that God doesn’t have a plan for everyone, because He most certainly does! And it’s also not to say that God doesn’t want you to prosper, because you are His child, of course He wants this for you. God is good. He has no intention in harming you, but rather to speak hope and promise and life back into you.
The truth is God does want all these things for you. It’s just not what He is saying in this context. All it takes is a reading of verse 10 in the very same chapter and you will understand. Jeremiah 29:10 says, “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.”
The context is simple: The Jewish people are in exile and Jeremiah sends word that God has a plan to prosper them once again, just not right now. In fact, it won’t be for another 70 years! When given the context of this verse it sort of changes the meaning so many cling to today. Jeremiah 29:11 is an extremely important part of Israel’s history, but it doesn’t happen before verse 10 takes place.
I believe so many of us want verse 11 without verse 10. I know I do! But if not for verse 10 all God would be is what Chris refers to as a “cosmic butler,” gift wrapping every one of our prayers and doing everything exactly we want. You might say, “What’s wrong with that?” And I’d say, well then He wouldn’t be God.
I’m sure the Jewish exiles wanted God to swoop in and fix everything. They made some really bad choices, but after making all those decisions and turning away from God, they had the audacity to want God to jump right in and make everything okay. But that has never been how God has worked. It’s also never been what God has promised. The promise from God has always been that He would be with us. The King of this world, the dread champion (as Chris calls him), will be with us always. He will be there when we make a great decision and when we make a bad one. He will be there when we’re having a good day and when we are having a bad decade. He’s there when our relationships aren’t working out. He’s present when our decisions aren’t so wise. He isn’t there to fix everything, but He’s there to remind you that there’s hope for the future. It may not happen tomorrow, but God has a plan for you and He’s will be with you the whole way through.
Isaiah Granados 