For I know the plans I have for you…

We all know people like Hananiah. People who say what they think those around them what to hear. People pleasers. People who agree with one side of the argument and in the next breath, agree with the other. The difference in this case is that Hananiah claims to be one of God’s prophets. He tells the people they will be brought out of exile in two years and then when Jeremiah reminds him that in two years, everyone will know whether he is right or wrong, he changes his story. This takes place in Jeremiah 28 if you want to look it up.

The truth is always the truth whether people like it or not.

Jeremiah speaks the truth to Hananiah –

Therefore this is what the Lord says: “I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.”’

In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died.  Jeremiah 28:16-17

It goes back to what I was saying in my previous blog. Even if someone claims to be speaking for God, they are still human and may be mistaken (or worse still, deliberately dishonest).

In Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah sends a letter to those in exile in Babylon. It instructs them on how to behave in captivity. They are to settle down, build houses, plant and grow produce, have children, work hard – live as normal a life as possible. Not put their lives on hold waiting for life to be different.

That’s a bug bear of mine at the moment…people waiting for things to be different…

‘When I finish uni, I’ll…’

‘When I lose weight , I’ll…’

‘When I find the right church. I’ll…’

‘When the kids have left home, I’ll…’

Life is short! The time to start living is now!

Wherever we are, whatever we are doing, whatever is going on, we can live for God now.

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.  Jeremiah 29:7

So wherever you are now, whether it’s where you intended to be or not, work for good in that situation. Start now.

And this is the context for the very famous, well-used verse Jeremiah 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.  Jeremiah 29:11

It’s a wonderfully reassuring verse. It makes us feel secure in the knowledge that God knows what He is doing. But remember that this is in the context of 70 years of exile in Babylon. 70 years! Things aren’t going to turn good immediately. Some people will never see it turn good in their lifetime! The hope is that God knows best, even if it doesn’t look like it right now – that’s trust.

This is what the Lord says: ‘When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my good promise to bring you back to this place. 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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord, ‘and will bring you back from captivity.  Jeremiah 29:10-14

And when God says ‘plans to prosper you’, He doesn’t spell this out to mean an easy life of wealth and health and happiness. He means a right relationship with Him. A fulfilling relationship with Him. It demand deliberate intention on our part – to call on Him and seek Him.

So don’t come to me with your prosperity gospel, telling me that God will give me an abundance of good things, because I might believe you. I might think that following God is a guarantee to make me rich and famous. That might become my motivation. I might get the wrong end of the stick and think that Christians deserve to have huge homes and big cars and high-powered jobs, just because they are Christians. I might seek prosperity only to find it is empty and doesn’t really fulfil me at all.

Instead, tell me how God has changed your life from the inside out. Tell me how you survive the worst of situations by having God with you. Tell me how to know God more. How to have an unshakeable hope in the one true God. How knowing and trusting that His way is best can revolutionise my life. Tell me what it feels like to pray and know that someone is listening. Give me examples of how God has set you free. Show me how to seek God and find Him.

That is the good news that I want to hear.