Jeremiah 29:11 Context
This is a verse we all know well, right? Easily one of the most encouraging verses in the Bible, we’re sure to find it written on most cards given during graduations, marriages, and funerals.
What better words to reflect on when facing all the emotions of major life transitions? We can hold on to the promise that the right college, right job, right spouse, and right joy await us just around the corner.
God’s Plans For Your Future (Jeremiah 29:11)
Jeremiah 29:11 Meaning
For the Israelites in Jeremiah’s time, the right thing was being in Jerusalem.
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Both those who were left behind in the holy city and those enslaved assumed that Jerusalem’s overall prosperity was a sign of God’s favor, and the ultimate goal was to get back near the temple to join in it, as soon as possible.
God’s Promises: Jeremiah 29:11
Jeremiah 29:11-14
But that promise wasn’t fulfilled until seventy years later—long after that generation was dead. In fact, Jeremiah speaks the opposite—that to Jerusalem will go the judgment and to the exiles the fulfillment of God’s plans.
And even further, that those in exile should focus on thriving where they are. “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile.
Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper” (29:7). The Israelites were being called to not sit and wait for the next right thing, nor for their rescue, but rather to lean into their suffering and anguish.
Biblical Hope And Purpose (Jeremiah 29:11)
Jeremiah 29 11 Verse
Theologian and author Russell Moore says many people believe this verse to be about God rubber-stamping our desires and inclinations.
When instead, “The Book of Jeremiah is all about God disrupting his people’s plans and upending his people’s dreams.” To what end? That we could know Christ.
For the Israelites’ ultimate promise was a Messiah, one who would reconcile the world to God, who would bear the suffering and judgment of sin so people could freely have a relationship with the Father.
So this verse is not about hoping for success or blessing soon to come (though our God loves to give good gifts to his children), but rather learning to prosper in our present circumstance, with the sure knowledge God is with us.
Trusting God’s Plans When Life Is Hard
Jeremiah 29:11 Application
We are not alone. He knows our every suffering, and by walking through this time, by flourishing in the hope of Christ, we can come to know him better and be more like him.
Jeremiah 29:11 And Finding Hope In Trials
“And we know that for those who love God, all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”