Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

Jeremiah 29:12-14

The verses above immediately follow one of the most popular and perhaps most misused verses in all of scripture - Jeremiah 29:11. “I know the plans I have in mind for you, declares the Lord; they are plans for peace, not disaster, to give you a future filled with hope.”

It’s certainly understandable why this sentiment is so beloved. We find it on plaques and cards for graduations, weddings, and countless other significant transitional life-events precisely because we want the assurance that whatever comes next will be a blessing. This verse, on the surface, seems to guarantee that all will go well in our future, no matter what path we may be on.

While this may be true in some cases… even many cases… it is not always true. Jeremiah is not talking about a prosperous career, a sucessful marriage, or even good health and long life. We must remember he is preaching to the exiles in Babylon, and though he gives them hope of a return to their homeland, he is also clear in the rest of the passage that 70 years will pass before this promise is fulfilled. He warns them not to listen to the false prophets we see in chapter 28 who declare that God will break the yokes of Babylon in only 2 years and all will be well. This, Jeremiah says, is not the word of the Lord. Instead, he tells them to settle down in the land where they have been sent; to build homes and families and even grow vineyards in this foreign and seemingly godless culture. Bottom line: “Get comfortable. You’re going to be here awhile.”….