Jeremiah 29:11 – Whose Plans?

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

God’s plans and our plans don’t always match up, but when they do, it’s golden. We often get so caught up in our own planning for the future that we lose sight that God is doing the same for us. I’m always thrilled when I remember to stop for a moment and ask, “Hey, God, are these plans yours or mine?” It’s good to check ourselves because God’s plans are always better.

Context (Jeremiah 29:1-23): This is a great text of promise found in a letter Jeremiah writes from Jerusalem, on behalf of the LORD, to the people exiled to Babylon. It’s in this letter that God tells his wayward Israelites to get comfortable in Babylon because they’re going to be there for a while, for seventy years. God takes responsibility for their being taken away into exile in the first place and warns them about listening to prophets there. Our memory verse falls right after God promises to bring them home in the future and make good on all the promises not yet fulfilled. Among other blessings, that means sending Jesus, doesn’t it?

Does how you read and understand this verse change just a bit, knowing the context in which God made this declaration? We can probably relate in some way to the Israelites who first read this letter. There would have been confusion about God and his plans. There would have been indifference to God, thinking he wasn’t there. There would have been false prophets talking about God in unapproved, yet very enticing ways. Sound familiar?

Maybe we even feel like we’re in exile, not fitting in with the world around us. We know that God made good on his promise to the exiles to bring them home. His promised Messiah did come, and now we are in the waiting pattern for Jesus’ return. That’s an unfulfilled promise, and we wait, knowing God will come through.

Are those the “plans” God has for us? His promised return is certainly something all believers cling to, especially when times are tough. Having Jesus come back would certainly be “good,” as this verse indicates, and lead quickly to a hopeful future. There is nothing to compare to eternal life in the kingdom of God. That’s a promise yet to be fulfilled for us as well as the Israelites of long ago.

Perhaps God has individualized plans for our lives, too. I believe he does. While I don’t know how it all works, I can’t imagine God would ever plan something for us that fell outside of his will or contrary to his nature. They are good plans according to this verse.

It’s especially comforting to remember disaster is not part of God’s plan. God walks through our disasters with us, but he doesn’t plan them. We can rely on the hopeful future God intends, even when we’re stuck. The Israelites were stuck in Babylon; at least we have more freedom than that.

Yet, hope remains a powerful motivator. Sometimes it’s hard to get out of bed when you find yourself dreading something like your job, a relationship, or even just opening your bank account. Not everyone lives a problem-free life. We all have something that brings us down sometimes. It’s in these tough moments that this verse can be a lifeline for us.

Some people don’t plan at all and live in the moment. If I do that for long, I get nothing done. So, I make a list and check it twice, always looking to scratch something off. But is accomplishing tasks what life is about?

When we set worry aside and trust in God’s plans, we’re moving in the right direction. Even better is when our plan and God’s plans match.

Let’s pray. Lord, you are so worthy of my honor and praise. You see the big picture and have such great plans for me. I especially look forward to the promise of spending eternity with you. In the present, I look to you for direction. Help me to resist my tendency to go my own way. I pray you’ll show me the way and reveal your plans for my life. I want to be living right in the middle of your will.  In Jesus’ name. Amen.