Today's Scripture
Created For a Purpose – Jeremiah 29:11-13
11 For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 12 Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. 13 When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart,
RJ's Devotion
What the passage says
V. 11 God has a plan to restore the Israelites and us.
V. 12 God promises to answer God’s people when they call upon to God.
V. 13 When we search, with all our heart, God will be found
What does the passage mean to me/us?
This is God’s prophecy to the people of God, shared by Jeremiah. To refresh our memories, we need to understand the background of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was a prophet during the last years of the Kingdom of Judah. He warned the people not to turn their hearts against God. However, they didn’t listen to God’s words. He saw the people of God, being exiled to Babylon, as slaves for seventy years.
Therefore, this was a message to the Israelites who were captive under the Babylon Empire. The voice of God applies to anyone who is going under oppression. Jeremiah is sharing the message of hope.
In the Message version, Eugene Peterson expounds this verse by saying, “This is God’s Word on the subject: “As soon as Babylon’s seventy years are up and not a day before, I’ll show up and take care of you as I promised and bring you back home. I know what I’m doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for” (V. 10-11 The Message).
God is a God of hope. God is willing to show this hope and purpose to the people. However, there is a prerequisite; we need to seek God with all our hearts. The Message says, “Yes, when you get serious about finding me and want it more than anything else, I’ll make sure you won’t be disappointed” (V. 13, The Message).
God is asking us this question, ‘Are we searching God with all our hearts?’
Prayer
Lord, you are with us every time and every moment. Forgive us because we don’t see you. Help us to search you with all our hearts. And show your hope and purpose in our lives, so we can become a blessing to this world.
In Christ Name we pray, AMEN
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