Making The Best of a Bad Situation

Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. (KJV)

I think it's a good idea to be familiar with the promises contained in the bible. This is probably one that many of us are familiar with. I would be willing to bet that out of all the things that Jeremiah wrote/prophesied about, this one stands alone as the best recognized (and most quoted). I often caution my readers and listeners about how they read and apply passages of the bible. We quickly embrace quotes like Jeremiah 29:11, but we are more hesitant to embrace Jesus' promise that we will have trouble in this world (John 16:33) or Paul's promise that godly people will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12). I know what you're thinking..."Henry, are you trying to depress me worse than I already am?". Hang on, we'll get to the good stuff in just a moment.

Now Jeremiah 29:11 says that God is thinking thoughts about us (yes, I believe that we can broaden the application, and that these words are not just written for ancient Israel's encouragement). However, I do believe it's important to consider the context of this particular promise, because it will affect the meaning or the interpretation. In order to explore this further, we need to go to the beginning of the chapter.

Jer 29:4 Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon; (KJV)

So these words were being delivered unto Israelites who were now captives in Babylon. Now if the scripture went from verse 4 right to verse 11 there would be no need for this blog today. But because it doesn't, I think we owe it to ourselves to dig a little deeper. So let's continue:

Jer 29:5 Build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them;
Jer 29:6 Take ye wives, and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be increased there, and not diminished.
Jer 29:7 And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace. (KJV)

Now, wait just a minute. It sounds to me like the Lord is telling them to put down some roots where they are. I wonder if this is the prophetic word that they were hoping for? I can tell you that if they were like the average Christian in the year 2010, this is not the prophecy they would want to hear. Instead, we might hope to hear something like "hold on just a little longer, and I'm going to deliver you from Babylon and take you back to the promised land". After all, remember they are captives- they're not on a vacation (I resisted the temptation to use the popular buzzword "stay-cation" there). Instead of hearing that their deliverance was at hand, they were told to make themselves at home in Babylon. Furthermore, they are told to pray for the city and seek the peace of it. Now at this point, God cautions the people against receiving false prophecy.

Jer 29:8 For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Let not your prophets and your diviners, that be in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.
Jer 29:9 For they prophesy falsely unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith the LORD.

Before I get into the content of the message of the false prophets, I want to make a few remarks. First of all, the people of God must always be vigilant about the truth. False teachers and prophets do not only function in times of prosperity, but (dare I say it) also in times of recession. Not everyone who claims to speak on behalf of the Lord is actually one of His messengers. Before I go off on a tangent about the nature of false prophecy, I had better give you the next verse in the passage:

Jer 29:10 For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

So now, we are ready for Jeremiah 29:11. And we are better able to understand this promise within the context. The people that heard this great promise "I know the thoughts that I think toward you..." would likely never leave Babylon in their lifetime. It would be a full seventy years before the captivity would come to an end (and praise God, it finally did!). So why does the Lord warn against false teachers and "dreamers" in this passage? Well, we can only speculate as to the specifics, but we can generally discern (because of the verbiage in verse 10 "For thus saith the LORD") that God didn't want the people to believe lies about the time frame of Israel's deliverance. The false prophets were likely telling the people to expect deliverance from Babylon "just any day now". And God gave them a reality check which formed the basis for His promise in verse 11. On the one hand, they needed to go ahead and get established in Babylon; building homes, planting crops, having children, etc.etc. But on the other hand, they needed to realize that all of this did not mean God had abandoned them or forgotten them. His plans were still on schedule!

So the real hope in Jeremiah 29:11 for the children of Israel (and for us) is not that they were going to be immediately delivered from their troubles. Obviously, I'm not saying that we shouldn't pray or have faith that God will deliver us from our trials speedily- hopefully that goes without saying! But God was letting them know that their captivity was all part of a bigger plan. God was not going to forget about Israel. At some point (in their case, after 70 years had been accomplished) they were going to leave captivity. But they were not to spend the next few decades living in misery due to faulty expectations delivered by phony prophets. Instead, they were to live productively, rear godly children, pray for their communities, and prepare for the next generation.

Some of you today may be in difficult circumstances. But you can rest assured that God has not abandoned you. He knows exactly where you are. And He's thinking about you. And where you are now is not where you will always be. Only God knows the times and seasons of our trials and deliverance. Sometimes six months can feel like six years when we're going through a storm. But even when things don't make sense, people that love God and are called by Him have this assurance:

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Until next time....

"Oh what a weariness!"

Mal 1:13 Ye said also, Behold, what a weariness is it! and ye have snuffed at it, saith the LORD of hosts; and ye brought that which was torn, and the lame, and the sick; thus ye brought an offering: should I accept this of your hand? saith the LORD.

The book of Malachi challenges both the priests and the laymen. In typical fashion, the prophet (Malachi's name means "my messenger") calls the people to personal responsibility. The LORD has some hard things to say to these people (the priests in particular for starters). But before He rebukes them for their iniquities, He reminds them of His love.

Mal 1:2 I have loved you, saith the LORD. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the LORD: yet I loved Jacob (KJV)

Israel could look to their preservation and election as a nation as proof that God loved them. We can look to an even greater demonstration of God's love for us. It can be found in the book of Romans. For many of us, love is an abstract concept. When the modern mind thinks of love, it often thinks of emotion. Certainly love involves emotion, but the biblical concept of love also is defined by action. One of the most frequently quoted passages of scripture in weddings comes from I Corinthians chapter 13. What I find interesting is that Paul describes love (the biblical kind of love) in terms of demonstration. What does love look like? It is kind, patient, not insisting on its own way, etc. etc. It should come as no surprise, that when Paul describes God's love to the Roman church he also speaks in terms of action:

Rom 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (ESV)

Now, back to Malachi for a moment. As we read further into the first chapter, we learn that the priests had become disillusioned with working for God and ministering on behalf of the people. They decided that God's standards were too high, and they had no intentions of honoring them. (ref Mal 1:7,8). They were content with giving God a type of sub-standard service that they would never dream of giving to a mere earthly ruler (Mal 1:8b).

Apparently this didn't happen overnight. As is the case with many of us, it probably happened by degrees. When they are called into account, they sincerely ask the question "How have we despised your name?" (Mal 1:6b). I believe at times we suffer from the same spiritual apathy and lethargy that they experienced. How do we go from being passionate about our walk with Christ to the attitude of "oh what a weariness"? Probably easier, than one might expect!

Religion is not a dirty word. As a matter of fact, James says that we must have a "pure religion" (James 1:27) that is more than simply lip-service. Having said that though, there is an inherent danger that we must guard against. Our religious duties can become so routine and ritual, that we simply go lifelessly through the motions. For many, Christianity has become nothing more than "attending church", singing a few choruses, hearing a sermon (often with little scriptural content) and then punching out until the next time we "clock in" for duty. After a while, even these disciplines will become a weariness to us. Instead of earnest prayer, we will say "what a weariness!". Instead of gathering to fellowship with other believers we will respond "I'm just too tired".

So what is the solution? I believe the prophet Malachi's method of delivering the message from God was intentional. How do we go from frustration, discontentment, and apathy, to passionate worship and service again? I believe the answer is love. Now here is where a little honesty will go a long way. Do you know what the Israelites said when God told them He loved them? In case you didn't know, I'll show you:

Mal 1:2 "I have loved you," says the LORD. But you say, "How have you loved us?" "Is not Esau Jacob's brother?" declares the LORD. "Yet I have loved Jacob (ESV)

Now before you jump all over their case and say "how could they say such a thing?"....take an inventory of how we handle disappointment(s). There are times in life when our present circumstances do not appear to line up with our ideas of love. There are times when situational outcomes do not meet our expectations. Often there are periods of long waiting in -between prayers and answers (or manifestations of the answers). Perhaps this is why Paul cautioned us not to be "weary in well-doing" (Gal 6:9).

This is when we have to go back to the beginning and warm ourselves in the fires of God's love. God reminded them about how He had preserved them as a nation (leading them out of Egyptian bondage, meeting them on Mt. Sinai & giving them the law, bringing them back from Babylonian captivity and allowing them to rebuild the temple, etc, etc.). We have to remember too, that God loved us when we were terribly unlovable (Romans 5:8). Furthermore, God (through Paul) reminds us that we must NEVER gauge His love for us based on present circumstances (which are always subject to change!!!!).


Rom 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?
Rom 8:36 As it is written, "For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered."
Rom 8:37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Maybe you are at that place of weariness today. Consider this your friendly reminder that God loves you! And consider it an exhortation to give God your very best. Not just because He's worthy (which He certainly is!) but because you love Him so much and He loves you with an everlasting love!

Until next time.....