A Message for Exiles on July 4th

Jeremiah 29 has been on my mind this week. It was part of my reading plan on Saturday, and my pastor preached from it on Sunday. It has a lot of everyday application, but I think it’s especially appropriate for this day when we celebrate our country. 

You’ve probably heard verse 11 of this chapter: “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” This verse is often plucked out of context and stuck on a mug or a bookmark, a pithy affirmation that God will eventually give you everything you want. I’m probably exaggerating, but it sometimes feels like that’s how it’s used. 

But it’s a different story when you come to this verse after reading the first 28 chapters of Jeremiah. They’re a blistering condemnation of Israel, Jeremiah’s warning message to the nation of the destruction that God was bringing upon them. By chapter 29, a lot of the people of Israel have been taken into captivity in Babylon, but Jeremiah is one of those who are still in Israel, so he sends a letter to the captives. 

This letter starts off telling them to “settle in” in Babylon. Plant gardens, build houses, start families, become a part of the nation. For a while, you’re just going to be in Babylon. But eventually - here’s verse 11 - God has a plan of hope and peace for your future. Which does involve going back to the Promised Land, but more importantly, it’s about seeking and finding him wherever you are.

Jeremiah 29:11 is often used to prop up an American prosperity gospel, but originally it was a message to a group of exiles who were probably very much in doubt whether they had any future at all. It has very little to do with material prosperity and everything to do with seeking and finding God, even in a foreign land.

And for us? I think sometimes we look for the prosperity of the Promised Land in America. We forget that we’re actually exiles in Babylon. Sometimes that’s hard to remember in a country that we love and celebrate and feel at home in. That isn’t wrong; we’re called to seek the welfare of this place, settle in, put down roots, shoot off fireworks. But our priority is seeking and finding God, and our home is in heaven.