This is what the Lord says… seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.…When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 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 29:7, 10-11
BibleGateway.com looked at data gathered from people looking up passages on its website to determine the most popular Bible verses and put together a list of the top 100. Number one was, somewhat predictably, John 3:16, “For God so loved the world…” Number two was Jeremiah 29:11. It’s a very popular Bible verse to put on greeting cards and picture frames, but it is important to know where in the story of Scripture that this verse appears.
This verse appears in a letter that God tells the Prophet Jeremiah to write to the people living in Exile. The letter tells the people that God has issued judgement. The sentence has been handed down from on high, and Israel has received seventy years in exile as punishment for their sins. Jeremiah explains that everything is happening according to God’s plan. They are being punished, and they should settle down and make the best of things. God will bring them prosperity, eventually, but right now they are going to be in Babylon for a good, long while.
The challenging thing God tells them to do is to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city” of Babylon. They are not supposed to sulk or act out with violence. They are supposed to settle down and live a normal life: build houses, have children, plant farms, establish careers. They will flourish in Babylon if they take time to look at the good things available all around them.
God has a plan for everyone’s life, but we might be tempted to think that God’s plan is somewhere in a far-off place, or we haven’t gotten to it yet. Mostly, God’s will is for us to flourish and live worshipful lives regardless of our circumstances. May we not be so distracted by God’s promises for the future that we lose sight of the good things provided for us today.
Kena Hawkins Newkirk 