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| “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 |
One of the somewhat annoying things that happens, as we become more and more familiar with the Bible, is that we find people quoting verses out of context. But recently, I’ve begun to wonder if when we study the context we might actually discover that the way God has acted in the past may well be the way He will act in the present.
A familiar and oft-quoted verse is found in Jeremiah 29:11, which reads:
“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.”
What’s the context for this verse? To whom does it apply? Can we claim this verse as our own today?
Let’s look at the context. Jeremiah acts in his prophetic role at the beginning of Chapter 29 of the Book that bears his name. He reports that God has given him a very specific message for the children of Israel who are in captivity in Babylon. Jeremiah sends this message to them in a letter. About one-third of the way into the letter, we find these words from God, as recorded in Jeremiah 29:10-14:
This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill 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. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”
Clearly the frequently quoted verse eleven applies to these Jews in captivity in Babylon. God states that He has a plan for them and promises to care for them. Does this verse only apply in this specific situation? Or, does it give us some potent clues about the nature of God and the way He interacts with those He loves and has called to Himself?
I believe that the latter is truer than the former. God illustrates the way He intends to show His love to those who belong to Him. God has a distinct way of relating to not only these exiled Israelites, but also to we “Christ’s-ones” whom He has called to Himself.
Stuart Hamblen certainly understood this concept of the consistency of God’s love toward His dear children when he wrote the following song in response to Hamblen’s life transformation during the 1949 Billy Graham Crusade in Los Angeles, California. This song makes it clear that our God is One we can trust to do for us what He has done for others:
The chimes of time ring out the news,
Another day is through.
Someone slipped and fell.
Was that someone you?
You may have longed for added strength,
Your courage to renew.
Do not be disheartened,
For I have news for you.
It is no secret what God can do.
What He's done for others, He'll do for you.
With arms wide open, He'll pardon you.
It is no secret what God can do.
There is no night for in His light
You never walk alone.
Always feel at home,
Wherever you may go.
There is no power can conquer you
While God is on your side.
Take Him at His promise,
Don't run away and hide.
It is no secret what God can do.
What He's done for others, He'll do for you.
With arms wide open, He'll pardon you.
It is no secret what God can do.
As we begin a new day, let’s not quibble over the nature of God. Rather, let’s learn from what He has revealed about Himself in Scripture. Let’s recognize that God behaves consistently toward those He loves and has called to belong to Himself. We can rejoice in this consistency and revel in His mercy, grace, and abiding love.
