Jeremiah 29:13-14
“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.”
This past weekend, I felt impressed by the Lord to read some interesting passages from two chapters of the Bible: Jeremiah 6 and 29. Though the circumstances that would unfold may be disheartening, there are many lessons we can learn and apply to our lives in knowing what to do as God’s children and ambassadors to turn from evil to pursue good. Not to mention just how patient and watchful the Lord is with his people.
Upon his calling as a prophet in Jeremiah 1, young Jeremiah is instructed by the Lord to “go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you” (Jeremiah 1:7). According to the Lord, he was appointing Jeremiah over nations and kingdoms to “uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” (Jeremiah 1:10). What a large responsibility for a young man to carry out.
The Lord told Jeremiah that he had put his words in his mouth and that he wasn’t to be afraid, as he would be with him and rescue him. Jeremiah’s excuse that he was too young and didn’t know how to speak would be no suitable justification for him to decline. Of course, the Lord knew all about Jeremiah before he appointed him and so eloquently tells him in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
In Jeremiah 6, the prophet foretells the impending destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of its people by the Babylonians, due to their widespread wickedness and rejection of God’s word. The chapter details a coming military invasion from the north, emphasizing the severity of God’s judgment and the people’s lack of repentance.
In verse 16, the Lord stated his disappointment with what was happening: “This is what the Lord says, ‘Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ He continued in verse 17 with, “I appointed watchmen over you and said, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But you said, ‘We will not listen.’ As a result, there would be some unfortunate circumstances that the Israelites would have to endure.
However, later in chapter 29, the Lord, via a letter from Jeremiah to the surviving elders, priests, prophets, and all the others King Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, is faithful and merciful to provide helpful and encouraging instructions. In short, as amazing as the Lord is to still communicate with them, He told them to:
+ build houses
+ settle down
+ plant gardens
+ eat the produce from the gardens
+ marry and have kids
+ find wives for their sons and give their daughters in marriage
+ increase in number and do not decrease
“Also, 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” (Jeremiah 29:7). Interestingly, the Lord did not say King Nebuchadnezzar, but “I” himself, signifying his sovereignty in the whole matter.
Moreover, as stated further in verses 11-14, God’s plans were to prosper them, not to harm them, but to give them hope and a future. Upon calling on the Lord, praying to him, he would listen. Upon seeking him with all their hearts, he would be found by them and would bring them back from their captivity to the place from which he had carried them to exile. God was still showing them the way of repentance, as he loved them so much.
From all of this, we may notice that God’s great care and mercy are not only awesome toward his children, but in the fiery furnace of disobedience and chaos, God did not stop watching and helping. Life was not to stop with the Israelites’ misfortunes and exile, but with them God made a way of possible escape, and they were not only to move on with their lives, but with blessings, even while in Babylon. If he’s not a magnificent God, I don’t know who is.
Upon reading those chapters and further, more closely, we can see the vast measure of God’s grace toward the Israelites when they turned their back on God to do all the terrible things he told them not to do, yet God relentlessly pursued them.
In conclusion, don’t count yourself out when you fail or disappoint God. The Bible shows over and over again the great love and patience he has for his people. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and sincerely call out to him in repentance, then follow his instructions as best you can to continue to the next chapter of his plan for your life. He’ll be with you, counsel, and strengthen you along the way.
You can trust God will be there to help and often add an extra blessing to it. He’s just loving and generous like that, even when we are rebellious, proud, stubborn, and lack remorse. We may suffer consequences he never intended for us, but He’s still faithful to intervene and show us a better way to live.
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