The Best Plans

The Best Plans

Jeremiah 29:11 is a popular verse that’s often slapped onto journals, etched into coffee mugs, and printed on t-shirts.

“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 ‭29:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

And God does have a plan for you.

God does want to bless you.

God does want to give you hope and a future. 

But—we should also pay attention to the original context …

In this case, God was speaking through the prophet Jeremiah to the people of Judah—people who’d recently been exiled to Babylon for 70 years. 

The Jewish people were banished to a foreign land because of their insatiable appetite for sin. In fact, for 23 years Jeremiah had been warning them to stop rebelling against God or prepare to face the consequences.

God is patient, but He is also just. In the preceding chapters, God made a case against His beloved people:

They’d exploited foreigners, orphans, and widows. They’d denied the rights of the poor. They’d refused to stand up for truth or obey God’s instructions. They’d murdered the innocent and committed adultery. They’d rejoiced in doing evil and their lives were ruled by greed. They’d even built pagan shrines, sacrificing their sons and daughters in the fires. It was a dark time. And yet, somehow, God’s mercy always extends to the darkest places on earth.

That’s why, just a few verses later, God said they could seek Him and find Him, and He’d bring them back from captivity (Jeremiah‬ ‭29:13‬-14).

That’s why he encouraged them—while in exile—to build houses, plant gardens, get married, have children, and work for the peace and prosperity of their temporary home (Jeremiah 29:5-7).

He wanted them to know: He hadn’t forgotten them. He still wanted good for them. He still had plans to restore them.

God is serious about sin, but He’s just as passionate about redemption.

Though Jeremiah 29:11 was meant for a specific people at a specific time, God’s heart for the restoration of broken people is generationally timeless. 

Even when we feel stuck in the process, God still has a plan. 

We can put our trust in the God whose goal is always redemption.