Jeremiah 29:11

Verse of the Day Devotion: Jeremiah 29:11 

“For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29:11 

Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of Babylon, conquered Israel and took many of the Jews captive, taking them back with Him to exile.  After a time. there were several letters sent back and forth between Jeremiah and the Jews in Babylon recorded here in Jeremiah 29.  This verse falls within the first letter Jeremiah wrote to the exiles.  Let us look at the words God gave to Jeremiah for the Jews in Babylon.

“Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon,”  Jeremiah 29:4.  This is a remarkably interesting passage, for it declares that God SENT the Jews into exile.  The exile was God’s doing, not Nebuchadnezzar’s, done for reason’s not yet known to Israel at the time.  After revealing this fact, the letter goes on to encourage them to make the most of their situation.  “Build houses and live in them; and plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and become the fathers of sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there and do not decrease. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.” Jeremiah 29:5-7.  He tells them to settle in, build houses to inhabit and plant gardens for food.  This makes it clear this will not be a short exile.  However, while they are there, they are to do what is necessary to take care of themselves.  This is a culture that does not follow the ways of the Jews; therefore they are encouraged to do what they can to follow the statues give them.  He also tells them to marry and have children so that their population does not decrease. However, they were to marry within their own people and not to intermarry with heathens.  This becomes clear on their return to Israel.  And they are to seek the welfare of Babylon, praying for them. 

He then warns the people of false prophets in exile with them, for they prophesy against what the Lord has actually said.  “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,‘ declares the LORD.”  Jeremiah 29:8-9.

So why does God tell His people all this?  As encouragement.  “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.” Jeremiah 29:10.  They will be there seventy years, and then they will go back to their own land.  And then, our focus verse. “For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.” Jeremiah 29:11. God has an amazing plan for them.  Not one regarding the end of Israel, but on the contrary, one that will give them a future and something to look forward to.  A future not as the false prophets declare in pretending they know what is the will of God, but a declaration of a true truth. 

There is much to be taken from this verse.  However, this same thing can be said of us.  He has a plan for us as well.  One that is for our good and not for harm.  We may go through tough times; persecution, pain, and humility, but God has a plan.  We may at times feel He is far off, but God has a plan.  And we may feel at times that there is no hope for things getting better, just as some in captivity in Babylon no doubt felt.  But again, God has a plan.  And His plan is a grand one, eternal life in His kingdom where all is good and there is no more sorrow, suffering or death.  We must always remember this no matter what life brings our way.  God has a plan, and it is for our good.  Remember what my favorite verse in scripture says.  “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28.  Always remember this, for everything He has planned is for our good, just like they were for the exiles in Babylon.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.

Romans 8:25

Verse of the Day Devotion: Romans 8:25 

“But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.” – Romans 8:25     

Paul here is building upon the idea expressed in the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1.  This verse lays out the definition of faith we see throughout the New Testament.  Paul now speaks of hope declared in the above verse.  Hope signifies the expectation of some future good.  Not something that has already happened or is occurring right now.  In this context it is something that we are sure will happen, and we are comfortable that we will, at some point, receive it.

So, by definition then, we hope only for those things we do not see.  And when we put it together with Hebrews 11:1 we see how faith and hope work together.  Hope is the expectation of a future good.  Faith goes beyond expectation and is, as the writer of Hebrews states, the substance or reality of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not yet seen.  The fact that God exists and that He has created all there is, and that we have a relationship with Him, is the substance of our expectations.  We hope for things in the future because of what has happened previously. 

Back to Romans 8, we see in the verse just prior to our focus verse the following, “For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees?” Romans 8:24.  We are saved in hope because we do not see all that our salvation entails.  Yes, we see our life changed, how our focus becomes Christ and not ourselves.  We understand that our sins are forgiven, and we are united with Christ. We see these present changes in us.  However, there is more yet to be revealed.  There is the second coming of Christ where He comes to bring an end to this world as it is now.  And there is the new heaven and earth which replaces what now exists with a perfect existence where we will live with God forever.  These are things not yet seen, these are some of the things we ‘hope’ for.

Therefore, with all this said, we hope for many things that are not visible now.  And we have faith that these things will happen because of all God has done up to this day.  And if we hope for these things, we will persevere and stand against anything that attempts to convince us otherwise.  We will wait eagerly for it because our future, eternal life will be so much better than what we have now.  We should live our lives now, fulfilling the calling God has placed on us, to “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”  Matthew 28:19-20.  But we should also look forward to what we know is coming, as the verse says, waiting eagerly with perseverance. 

It is important to never forget or push aside that which we hope for.  It is part of our amazing eternal life promised us by God, and it is through this perseverance that we remain strong and devoted to our Lord.  What He has promised, He will fulfill.  In this we can have confidence.  On this is our foundation that helps us stand firm.

William Funkhouser MDiv, ThD, Founder and President of True Devotion Ministries.