A Letter of Encouragement

Sharing verses from The Bible, KB shares how the Lord wants us to be uplifted in times of uncertainty and times of pain

Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most quoted scriptures in the bible: NKJV “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”.  This passage of Scripture has comforted and brought encouragement to countless believers throughout the years.  However, many of us do not understand the context to which these words were written.  Jeremiah 29:11 was written as a promise in a very difficult time in Israel’s history – a time they were taken captive by King Nebuchadnezzar.

When you read the preceding Scriptures, you find that this promise was written in a letter that was sent to the captives in Babylon.  The prophet Jeremiah wrote this letter to the Jewish exiles to communicate what the Lord was saying regarding their captivity, what they should do and when it would end.

God’s chosen people were not in Babylon by mistake or by accident, the letter from Jeremiah reveals a scary truth: their captivity was God ordained.  Verse 4 of Jeremiah 29, says this “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon.”  This scripture might be unsettling for many, why would God allow His chosen people to be taken away captive by a pagan nation? Why would He allow such suffering?

Now, I am not going to answer that question in this post, it would just take too long.  What I want us to be focused on is that, it was the Lord who caused the captivity of His beloved.

Scary right, you are probably thinking to yourself, “not my Lord”, God would never let me suffer.  This challenges the image of goodness we have of the Lord, but in reality, God is not above letting you suffer to save you, draw you closer to Him, or even as a way of showing you mercy.

God’s promise communicated that there would be an end to the suffering, an end to the captivity, there was a promise in the midst of hardship, a promise of hope and a future.  The 70-year captivity was a period of refining, a time of drawing Israel close, a time where God would teach His people to depend on Him again and turn from their rebellion.  The captivity though painful, was purposeful.  God had a plan for His people in the midst of suffering – a plan that He still has for you and me today.  In the midst of suffering, God’s plan for His people still remains intact. 

When we face hardships, suffering or even times of mourning our instincts want to tell us that God has forgotten us in some way, that He has forsaken us.  This letter from the prophet Jeremiah did not mean that their suffering would end immediately, it was a reminder of God’s love and mercy, that even in the hardest times, the tribulations of life, God is still present, and He is still working things together for mine and your good.

God’s promise to His people still remains unchanged, “for I know the plans I have for you.”