God’s Extraordinary Plan

“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: Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord. For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. 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. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.” (‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:4-14‬ ‭NKJV‬‬)

The children of Israel had sinned against God so much that He caused them to be defeated in battle and taken captive to Babylon. The nobles were carried away from Israel and Judea into captivity in Babylon. The Jews were crushed, humiliated and disgraced. It is obvious that they were not given a hero's welcome in Babylon; they were treated with contempt. It is in this scenario that God spoke through Jeremiah to the children of Israel. God did not tell them that they would be delivered anytime soon. They were to remain in captivity for 70 years. There are always consequences for sin. We may be forgiven but the price for sin always has to be paid. 

God always has a plan of redemption and restoration. God will not compromise on His Word and His Word will never return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11). The Jews were to seek the peace of the cities where they were held captive so that they might have peace. As Christians we have an obligation to intercede for our communities and nations. Our prayers should not be self-centred but in accordance with God's perfect will. We should pray for revival in nations and for public officials who have the responsibility of running government departments. We must not relent our efforts to pray for the declining spiritual state of many communities, cities and countries. 

It should be mentioned that in the midst of all this, false prophets arose prophesying that the captivity would be short-lived. That was pleasing to the flesh but it was not God's will. We must beware of wolves in sheep clothing, people who have sold themselves out to the devil, perpetrators of lies and heresies and so-called prophets who are basically manipulators and agents of the devil. Are you caught up in one of these false prophetic movements? The Word of God is the ultimate prophecy. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4)

God's thoughts towards His people are thoughts of peace and not of evil. You can have peace in the midst of a storm; you can have peace when everything around you appears to be chaotic because God is unchangeable and His Word, infallible. Never doubt God's good intentions for you. After all, He created you. Pay attention to the Holy Spirit and remember that all that glitters is not gold. You may be in a season of testing right now. Cheer up for all is well. God has your back and when His plan unfolds in the fullness of time, you shall be rejoicing. 

The Bible says, "Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4-7, ESV) [Emphasis, mine]. Stand firm on the Word of God and do not let the false alarms of Satan send you into panic mode. Do not embrace false prophecies no matter how palatable they may seem. Let the Word of God dwell in you richly. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." (Colossians 3:16)

My brethren, time is short, the second coming of Jesus is at hand. Don't be led astray, hold on firmly to the truth of God's Word and the peace and blessings of God will be your portion in the mighty Name of Jesus. Have a blessed day.