Out of His great love for them, God promised His people that they would not always live in bondage. Jeremiah 29:10-14 declared this promise for the exiled people-that God would bring them back to their homeland where they could be restored to a right relationship with Him. Included in this passage are characteristics of those who received the promise. They would pray, call to Him, and seek the Lord with all their heart.
God promised this restoration because He is sovereign and He wanted to restore His people. Here, God reminded the people of His overarching plans for them, including how He could use them in the future. In the Hebrew text, Jeremiah expressed God’s words by using a participle to express unending action. Literally translated, this verse would say, “I Myself know the plans that I am planning concerning you.”
Like the Israelites, we sin and fail to remain faithful to God. Following our own ideas, we neglect to recognize His authority. God, however, is constant in His response. He never stops thinking of ways to restore us. We are correct to say God has plans for our lives; we are more correct to understand that God is always thinking about how to use us in His Story.
What part of this promise is more significant to you-God’s ability to make such a promise or His desire to go to such lengths to restore His people?