:: in.a.mirror.dimly :: A theology and culture blog with the Bible in one tab and a news feed in the other.

One of the most popular verses in the book of Jeremiah is 29:11

“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.” (NIV)

This is God’s message to the exiles through the prophet Jeremiah. We typically cling to this verse as a promise of good days and smooth sailing, but on reflecting on this verse, there’s a bit more going on.

First of all, this message is coming in the wake of the exile, the single most tragic and destructive event in the history of the Israelites. Simply put, they abandoned God and things swiftly went south (or north actually if you consider Babylon’s relation to Israel). In the midst of God’s people reconciling themselves with God and rededicating themselves, this message of hope comes.

Secondly, while there is a message of hope for a future and an assurance that God has a purpose for them, he has to assure them that he will not harm them. In other words, things may not look like they’re going well, but have faith that things will work out.

So while we have a passage that is often used to bring hope and assurance, we also have a challenge to trust God in the midst of hard times. Just because God has a plan, we are not assured that life will be a simple glide to prosperity. The picture here is one of trusting God in the midst of difficult times, trusting God is working a good end for us, even if we can’t quite understand it.