Reflections on Jeremiah 29 - Part 6

This is the final post in our series on Jeremiah 29. You can read parts one, two, three, four, and five if you're just tuning in. The final point is this:

God's good plan is to give us more of Himself.

Verses 11-14 say:

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.

When you envision God giving you "a future and a hope," what do you picture?

If it's anything less than more of God Himself, it's too small. The greatest good that God can give his people is Himself. He is our good.

And the basis of our knowledge of God is the mercy and grace of God. We are called to seek God. We're called to call out to Him. But do you realize who gives this invitation? God does. He is the one who comes looking for us. The basis of our relationship is not our effort and good works. It is His grace that first calls us to enable us to call on Him.

The people Jeremiah wrote to had stubborn hearts. They would not turn from sin. Their hearts were hard; they loved their sin. And yet God was greater than their sin. He took them to the unholy city of Babylon to make them holy. His discipline was redemptive. And in His kindness he promised to one day return them to Jerusalem.

The story of God's deliverance and mercy to the undeserving exiles in Babylon is a foretaste of God's ultimate mercy in the giving of His Son. Just like them, we were stubborn and set in our sin. And yet Jesus came, he took the judgment of God that we deserved. He shed His blood so that we could be forgiven and cleansed.

Even though we live in a sinful world—the city of man—and even though we face trials and difficulties in this world, God has promised us a future and a hope. Jesus has secured that future and hope. His blood poured out for us has given us the ultimate good—unhindered fellowship with the living God.

Conclusion
In this series, we've studied a familiar and cherished passage of Scripture. I hope you agree that an understanding of its context only enriches its promise. I'd sum it up this way: God Himself is future and hope. And because of Jesus, we know this good now and forevermore.

God's good plan for us, His future, His hope is better than any we could create. If you don't know Him, seek him. Call out to Him with all your heart. He promises to forgive and save all who turn from their sin and trust in Jesus.