Devotion:
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Read Jeremiah 29:10-13.
God had sent Jeremiah to the people of Judah to warn them that their disobedience and lack of faith would result in their being defeated and taken into exile if they did not repent. They laughed at Jeremiah and scoffed at his pleadings. Then the Babylonians swept across the land, conquering the people and taking the best and brightest into exile in Babylon. For the exiles, all seemed lost, and there seemed to be no future for them. They were ashamed when they thought of how unfaithful they had been to God, who had cared for them across the generations. The passage for today is part of a letter God had Jeremiah send to the exiles. In the letter, God tells the exiles they will suffer for a while as a consequence for their unfaithfulness, but this is not the end for them. Indeed, God has plans for them…plans to bring them home, to restore them, and to give them hope.
In difficult times, we too can feel discouraged. Sometimes we have brought on our difficulties, and sometimes they just happen. But we serve a God who loves us, who has plans for us, and who has a future for us. I take hope in the promise in this passage, and you can as well.
Personal Worship Option:
Almighty God, help us to be faithful to you. When bad things happen to us, help us to take comfort in passages like this one and know that you always love us and have plans for our future, plans to prosper us and give us hope. Amen!
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