Belinda Weatherly

Jeremiah 29:11

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.

Reflection

This passage is from the prophet Jeremiah’s letter to the Hebrew exiles in Babylon. Most of us have not experienced exile, but being uprooted from our comfortable lives is not uncommon. When I was young my good friends and I were part of an innovative project that was enjoying success and even some notoriety. My friends and I were thrilled to learn that our leader had secured an offer for the expansion of the project. As I was co-chair this had implications for my future. Unfortunately as meetings progressed I saw moral and ethical implications in the direction the leader was pushing. In my final group meeting as everyone else was silent I felt I had to speak up or I would burst into flames and be reduced to a pile of ashes. As a result I was removed from the project. Within a short period of time, the project, leader and my friends moved two thousand miles away leaving me behind.

 

Unlike the exiles in Babylon I was not removed from my home. In essence exiled nonetheless, left behind. Exile can take many forms. Maybe you aren’t chosen for the team or you aren’t accepted to the school all your friends are going to attend or you are laid off from your job or the relationship you believed would last forever ends. At any point we can find ourselves exiled from the life we envisioned and unable to see a clear future ahead. The good news is that God holds the future and his word to the exiles in Babylon is for us too.

 

Our loving God only plans good for us, and never harm. We live in a world where bad things happen to us, sometimes through our own decisions and sometimes through no fault of our own. We can trust that God has a plan for us and is working in all our circumstances. The worst thing is never the last thing. When our world collapses, we do well to turn the reins over to God, shelter under God’s wings and look for God’s will being revealed in our circumstances. The exiles weren’t exiled forever, and during that exile, God was still with them wherever they were. God is with us and God’s plan is for good not evil.

 

The end of my story is that the project fizzled, the leader never achieved the acclaim he wanted and my friends were spread across the country. I learned that our all powerful and loving God will always have the last word, and this last word is a good word—a word in which we can find hope. 

 

Prayer

Loving Father, please forgive my tugging at the reins when things aren’t going my way. Help me remember that your plans are far superior to mine and trust is often my best offering to you. Thank you for continuing to love me when in my stubbornness I stray from your will and sheltering me when I get myself into trouble. In Jesus’ name. Amen.