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 warned Israel to stop their idol worship which had replaced their devotion to God. He demanded the destruction of the pagan gods they hold dear and every false deity in which they trusted. BUT GOD Who is loving, gracious, long-suffering, and faithful, pronounced His bitter rod of severe chastening due to their apostasy, which would also prove to be a blossoming staff of sweet comfort and peace, grace and mercy, love, and hope, and joy. And so, Jeremiah wrote a message of comfort to the Jews who had been exiled to Babylon with King Jeconiah. His letter was addressed to the elders and priests, the prophets and the queen mother, the court officials, princes, craftsmen, and all the people. He promised that God’s plans for His people were rooted in His never-failing faithfulness towards them. He gave them a promise of future peace and wonderful hope, not a pledge of punishment that would result in their ultimate disaster and destruction. They were to acknowledge that God had ordered their exile in Babylon, and not Nebuchadnezzar. Their deportation from the Promised Land was to be recognized as a punishment for the nation’s apostasy. But despite their disobedience toward the holy one of Israel, the gracious thoughts God had towards His people, and the future plans He had prepared for them, were designed to prosper them and bring them peace and comfort, safety and success. It was not a scheme to harm them or bring them disaster. God promised that if they were patient and submitted to His Word, they would thrive as a nation and the city would prosper. Indeed, over the years, the stigma of being in bondage as slaves would reduce and their autonomy as a society would flourish. Jeremiah’s letter to the Babylonian exiles encouraged the people and brought with it a beautiful promise: “‘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’s prophecy was fulfilled, in part, when God graciously started to bring back His people to their land and reestablish them in the holy city of Jerusalem. Those that obeyed God’s Word returned to their homeland with Ezra and Nehemiah, while those who remained were really disobeying God’s call to return. But God in His grace even used exiles, like Esther and Mordecai who chose not to return to their homeland at the end of the 70-year long exile, as instruments to save many Jewish lives from the evil plot of wicked men like Haman, and He graciously blessed many men of Israel on the day of Pentecost. God still has a future plan for Israel’s well-being, just as He has for all God’s children. His plan of redemption is designed to give all who believe a future filled with hope and not with calamity. This glorious verse of comfort sparkles with reassuring radiance, that the future plan God has for all of His people, both for Israel and the Church, are for our eternal good and spiritual welfare, as well as our temporal and physical needs. The Lord desires the best for His children even though we may stray far from Him. His plan for His children is to give us a future and a hope. He knows that only as we sever our reliance on the world’s destructive securities and rest our trust entirely on Christ Jesus our Lord, will we break free from the yoke of this world’s slavery. We have an assurance that whatever we may have to face today, God’s thoughts toward us are only good continually: “‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD. ‘They are plans for peace and not disaster, plans to give you a future filled with hope.’” “Jesus take the wheel!” God is in control and He has great things in store for each and every one of us. If you just trust Him, you can take comfort in knowing that God has a plan for your life. And regardless of your current situation; of your current struggles…have hope, for He can prosper you. Have faith in Him and you will be rewarded. Now, it’s not saying that you won’t have trials and tribulations along the way. However, it is saying that, through Him, the hard times will pass. Being a Christian may be one of the hardest things you ever do. Once you accept the Lord as your savior, you become a target. But, this verse should provide you that comfort, to reaffirm you that God’s plan is to give you a hopeful future.
Spiritual Steve 