In Context
By Lisa Boyer
“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 a hope and a future.”
Jeremiah 29:11
In recent years, I don’t believe I’ve quoted any verse more often than Jeremiah 29:11. I love that verse and I love to share it with those in need of encouragement about their future. But I must confess, as often as I had quoted it, I hadn’t studied the verse in context. I hadn’t asked the critical questions like who was this verse written to? Was it to Jeremiah? If it was spoken by the Lord to Jeremiah, was it because he was special? Can it be applied to us universally today?
It’s not that I didn’t want to accurately apply the word of God - - I did - - but I had failed to remember to look it up. Five days ago, I opened my daily reading Bible to find Jeremiah 29:1-30:24 as the day’s passage! I devoured the Word, considered its context and fell in love with the verse even more!
It wasn’t written to Jeremiah because he was special. In fact, it wasn’t written to him at all! It was written to the children of Israel who were in captivity in Babylon. And Jeremiah 29:11 was just the beginning, with wonderful promises following it: “Then you will call upon 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” (Jeremiah 29:12-14b).
We’ve all been held captive by sin and need to be reminded that if we pray, He will listen and if we seek Him, He will be found by us and we will be brought back from captivity!! Wow…what beautiful words!
But are they for us as well even though they were written to the Jews, His chosen people? I believe the answer is yes. Certainly, the promise was originally given for a specific time and for a specific moment, but the absolute principle of this promise to all who are God’s people is found over and over throughout the Bible. “For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’” (Romans 10:12-13)! Everyone!
Join me in reading it again…with an emphasis on the word YOU!
GOING DEEPER:
1. Today, will you seek Him with all your heart?
2. Is there someone in your life being held captive by sin that you can share this message with? Will you do that today?
FURTHER READING:
Luke 11:9-10; Romans 8:28; 2 Timothy 2:25-26
Lisa has been married to Ted for 19 years and they have two teenage sons. She serves as a small group leader at Oakwood Church in Student Ministries.
