Devotion:
For an audio version of this devotion, click here.
Read Jeremiah 29:10-13.
Judah had been defeated. The armies of Babylon had overthrown Jerusalem and carried off many of the leaders and people to their land. Jeremiah was a primary prophet during that time. At this point, he sends a letter to those exiles to let them know what God wanted them to do. They were to “build houses and settle down…” (v. 5) in that place. They were going to be there for seventy years. But at that point, God would bring them out of captivity and return them to their land. He also cautions them about listening to others who were prophesying something different. Jeremiah’s message may not have been what they wanted to hear, but it was what God was sending them. They needed to think “long term” and know that God was promising them “hope and a future.” And God delivered on that promise.
The message in verse 11 still resonates with anyone who seeks to worship and serve this same God. No matter the circumstances in which we find ourselves, if we will remain faithful in serving God’s mission and follow our Lord’s guidance, we can always have “hope and a future.” Ultimately, that future includes life with God in the world to come for eternity. There is no better hope and there is no better future! Praise God!
Personal Worship Option:
Offer a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the “blessed assurance” this “hope and a future” provides.
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