Lots of folks probably know Jeremiah 29:11 – “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.” We quote it often at each other, we Jesus folk, as a reassurance that God knows what’s going on, and that whatever is troubling us in life really is part of His good plan. And that’s true – absolutely true. But I don’t think that’s the whole story of this verse.
Today I received an e-mail that prompted me to look up the entire passage, starting with verse 10. And I realized I haven’t been hearing the whole story of verse 11.
I can’t say I’ve ever really paid attention to the verse just prior to the often-quoted passage. and it contains a pretty important message (emphasis mine).
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. 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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
I like to think I know about waiting. And I like to think I’m doing better at it. I’ve been waiting for God to do big things in my life ever since I really met God a dozen years ago. But I don’t know anything about waiting 70 years to be brought back to my home after a period of exile. I don’t know anything about living out all my earthly life still waiting, still believing that God has a good plan and purpose without seeing any visible evidence of it. That’s what I like to refer to as “graduate-level faith” – faith that moves beyond the rational, the comfortable, the realistic. That’s faith that demands trust and submission at levels that I don’t think any of us really want to give.
Because regardless of what I do or don’t know, what I do or don’t want to give, God still has good promises. But He’s the one who controls how those promises are fulfilled, and how those plans are carried out. Whether it’s 70 years or 70 minutes until they’re realized, His plans are supreme. That’s the part of life with Jesus that we don’t quote to each other quite so readily, because it’s not as warm and fuzzy and quotable. It’s often hard. It often hurts.
But it’s true.
And, underneath it all, it is good.