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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
One of my favorite scriptures is Jeremiah 29:11.
“For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)
One day I chose to read the context—the verses preceding this hopeful verse. Jeremiah sent these words in a letter to those from Jerusalem, exiled in Babylon. The words of that letter were from God. He tells the surviving elders, the priests, and the others who Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem to exile Babylon how they are to live.
God tells them to ‘build houses and settle down,’ ‘plant gardens,’ ‘marry and have sons and daughters,’ ‘find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage,’ The words of the Lord God also tell them to ‘seek the peace and prosperity of the city where I have carried you.’ He advises them to ‘pray for the city,’ He says something odd here, ‘if it prospers, you too will prosper.’
. I find it interesting that the Lord goes to such lengths to command them to live life as they would in Jerusalem. He covers every aspect of what we call life. He then tells them they will be in exile for 70 years. 70 years equal 840 months, 25,200 sunrises and sunsets. Many of the exiles probably would never see Jerusalem again. Some of their children could only hear stories of Jerusalem. Inside of those seventy years, three to five generations could inhabit those homes God told them to build. A friend of ours went to be with Jesus early this week. In her obituary, it listed her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren. Our friend just last month celebrated her 80th birthday.
God commanded the Jews to do these activities in order for Him to preserve His people. However, the people may have been taken back by these words. Yes, 70 years seemed like a lifetime to those exiled. In the next verse, (11) God tells them that He knows the plans He has for them. We have times where we see God’s plans for us unfold. We call these ‘God moments’ or ‘God sightings.’
Conversely, God’s plans sometimes bring pain to us. However, if we practice patience we will learn more about ourselves and about the love of God. We have to stay close to the Lord in order to learn what His plans are for us.
Dear Father God:
Thank You for Your love for us. Thank You for the plans You have for each one of us. Yes, we have times where we can only follow Your commands and practice patience while we wait for the outcome You will bring. I ask this out of Your grace for me and Your other children. In Jesus’ Name I pray. AMEN
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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