VERSE OF THE DAY
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (New Living Translation)
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For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
He says to the people i know the plans I have for you says the Lord they are plans for good and prosperity not plans to hurt or destroy or of disaster they are plans to grow and succeed be successful to have a future and a hope In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.
Christians facing difficult situations today can take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 knowing that it is not a promise to immediately rescue us from hardship or suffering, but rather a promise that God has a plan for our lives and regardless of our current situation, He can work through it to prosper us and give us a hope …Jan 5, 2017
In this verse, Jeremiah grimly tells the people that something terrible is headed their way as a result of sinning against God, and they won’t be able to escape it no matter what they do. … In this story, Jeremiah 11:11 is a prophesy for America.Mar 26, 2019
Jeremiah 29:11-13
NIV
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on Jeremiah 29:11-13
Commentary on Jeremiah 29:8-19
(Read Jeremiah 29:8-19)
Let men beware how they call those prophets whom they choose after their own fancies, and how they consider their fancies and dreams to be revelations from God. False prophets flatter people in their sins, because they love to be flattered; and they speak smoothly to their prophets, that their prophets may speak smoothly to them. God promises that they should return after seventy years were accomplished. By this it appears, that the seventy years of the captivity are not to be reckoned from the last captivity, but the first. It will be the bringing to pass of God’s good word to them. This shall form God’s purposes. We often do not know our own minds, but the Lord is never at an uncertainty. We are sometimes ready to fear that God’s designs are all against us; but as to his own people, even that which seems evil, is for good. He will give them, not the expectations of their fears, or the expectations of their fancies, but the expectations of their faith; the end he has promised, which will be the best for them. When the Lord pours out an especial spirit of prayer, it is a good sign that he is coming toward us in mercy. Promises are given to quicken and encourage prayer. He never said, Seek ye me in vain. Those who remained at Jerusalem would be utterly destroyed, notwithstanding what the false prophets said to the contrary. The reason has often been given, and it justifies the eternal ruin of impenitent sinners; Because they have not hearkened to my words; I called, but they refused.
Christians facing difficult situations today can take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 knowing that it is not a promise to immediately rescue us from hardship or suffering, but rather a promise that God has a plan for our lives and regardless of our current situation, He can work through it to prosper us and give us a hope …Jan 5, 2017
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)
As we leave a tumultuous 2016 and enter into an unknown 2017, it is helpful to remember that God has a plan for our lives and this verse is just such a reminder.
Many Christians know and cling to the Jeremiah 29:11 verse by itself. But when we understand its historical and literary context, most will find that it takes on a deeper, more relevant and even more powerful meaning for their lives. Understanding the context of a passage of scripture will help us avoid the human tendency of reading into scripture our own desired meaning, and will instead help us draw out of scripture the original meaning intended by God and His prophet.k
Historical and Literary Context of Jeremiah 29:11
For historical context, Jeremiah spoke these words to Jews who had been living under the domination of the Egyptian and then Babylonian Empires before eventually being carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. One can only imagine what it would be like to live under the domination of your enemies and then to be forced by those enemies to leave your homeland and settle in a foreign country.
For literary context, we discover from the previous chapter that Jeremiah has just pronounced judgment upon the false prophet Hananiah. Hananiah had told the people that God would break the yoke of Babylon, freeing the people to return home, within two years. While his message undoubtedly sounded appealing to the people, it was a lie and resulted in God removing Hananiah from the face of the Earth (Jeremiah 28:15-17). Instead, Jeremiah tells the people they would live in Babylon for at least 70 years. Therefore, they should settle down, build houses, marry and even pray for the peace and prosperity of the city in which they now found themselves (Jeremiah 29:4-10).
When understood in context, we discover that the words of Jeremiah 29:11 were spoken to people in the midst of hardship and suffering; people who were likely desiring an immediate rescue like the one Hananiah lied about. But God’s response is not to provide immediate escape from the difficult situation. Rather, God promises that He has a plan to prosper them in the midst of their current situation.
Christians facing difficult situations today can take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 knowing that it is not a promise to immediately rescue us from hardship or suffering, but rather a promise that God has a plan for our lives and regardless of our current situation, He can work through it to prosper us and give us a hope and a future.
Furthermore, Christians can take comfort in knowing that God promises to be there for us in these situations. For in the verses immediately following Jeremiah 29:11, God proclaims through Jeremiah that when you “call on me and come and pray to me… I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 19:12-13).
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The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Grand Canyon University. Any sources cited were accurate as of the publish date
TUESDAYTRUTH JEREMIAH 29:11-13
“ ‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.’ ”
Have you ever wondered if there is a plan for your life? I know that I have been through times in my life when I have found myself wondering about the direction my life is taking or the “big picture” for my life. Well, friend, our lives are not on a random course. They are not on an aimless trajectory into the unknown with no purpose. On the contrary, God very specifically states that He has plans for His people, and not only that, but plans about which we should be excited.
There is another truly wonderful thing to note here. God asks only for us to come to Him, to call on His name, and to seek Him with all our hearts. When we truly seek His face, that is when we find Him. A funny thing happens when you begin to seek your Heavenly Father above all else -> You realize that that space inside, that deep longing, that emptiness that you used to feel, is now filled. He is all that you want and all that you need. You have no reason to fear or worry about what is to come.
No matter where you are right this second, no matter where you have been, no matter how far you have strayed (or even run) from the Father, no matter how far gone you think you are, no matter any of that, He has good plans for you. Run to Him. Call out to Him. God has plans for YOU, my friend, and good plans- plans to “prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the plans that you have for our lives. Thank you that your plans are far better than any plans that we could come up with for ourselves. Thank you that we have no reason to fear tomorrow. Thank you for listening when we call out to you, for listening and responding. Thank you that we can seek you and have relationship with you. It’s all that we want.
We love you Father, Amen.
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. – Jeremiah 29:11-13 NIV
Dear Lord,
I love this promise. It comforts me when life doesn’t make sense and when bad things seem to keep happening to me. You have good plans for me even when I cannot see what they are. So, I will pray to you just as you encourage me to. Lord, come and intervene in all those situations I’m concerned about. Give me what you want me to have and guide me through the difficult decisions I face. Take my hand and lead me to where you want me to go.
Amen
Pastor Don Patterson
God won’t forget the good plans he has for us even when we forget that he has them.
What Does Jeremiah 29:11 Mean? ►
For I know the plans I have for you”-[this is] the Lord’s declaration-“plans for [your] welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11(HCSB)
Verse Thoughts
Jeremiah warned Israel to stop their idol worship which had replaced their devotion to God. He demanded the destruction of the pagan gods they hold dear and every false deity in which they trusted. BUT GOD Who is loving and gracious, long-suffering, and faithful, pronounced His bitter rod of severe chastening due to their apostasy, which would also prove to be a blossoming staff of sweet comfort and peace, grace and mercy, love and hope and joy.
And so Jeremiah wrote a message of comfort to the Jews who had been exiled to Babylon, with King Jeconiah. His letter was addressed to the elders and priests, the prophets and the queen mother, the court officials, princes, craftsmen, and all the people. He promised that God’s plans for His people were rooted in His never-failing faithfulness towards them. He gave them a promise of future peace and wonderful hope – not a pledge of punishment that would result in their ultimate disaster and destruction.
They were to acknowledge that God had ordered their exile in Babylon and not Nebuchadnezzar. Their deportation from the Promised Land was to be recognised as a punishment for the nation’s apostasy. But despite their disobedience toward the holy one of Israel, the gracious thoughts God had towards His people, and the future plans He had prepared for them, were designed to prosper them and bring them peace and comfort, safety and success. It was not a scheme to harm them or bring them disaster.
God’s instruction to His people was to settle in Babylon and not expect to return immediately to their homeland. They were to settle down and build houses. They were to plant gardens, get married, have children, and even look forward to their grandchildren. They were to live quiet lives in Babylon and contribute to the welfare of the city and the well-being of its citizens. And they were instructed to pray for blessings on their captors.
God promised that if they were patient and submitted to His Word, they would thrive as a nation, and the city would prosper. Indeed, over the years, the stigma of being in bondage as slaves would reduce and their autonomy as a people-group would flourish. They were to harken to God’s Word and be careful not to be hood-winked by the deceptive teachings of false prophets, and they were given a promise that at the end of 70 years, the Lord would restore them to their homeland.
Jeremiah’s letter to the Babylonian exiles encouraged the people and brought with it a beautiful promise, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “they are plans for your welfare and good, and not for disaster. They are plans to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah’s prophecy was fulfilled, in part, when God graciously started to bring back His people to their land and reestablish them in the holy city of Jerusalem. It began with an edict of Cyrus the Great, and continued with other great kings of Babylon and Persia. Those that obeyed God’s Word returned to their homeland with Ezra and Nehemiah, while those who remained were really disobeying God’s call to return.
But God in His grace even used exiles, like Esther and Mordecai, who chose not to return to their homeland at the end of the 70-year long exile, as instruments to save many Jewish lives from the evil plot of wicked men like Haman, and He graciously blessed many men of Israel on The Day of Pentecost, “Parthians and Medes and Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya around Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabs,” for these people would have been descendants of Babylonian exiles who heard the gospel of Christ in their own language and tongue – and were saved.
God still has a future plan for Israel’s well-being, just as He has for all God’s children. His plan of redemption is designed to give all who believe a future… filled with hope and not with calamity. This glorious verse of comfort sparkles with reassuring radiance, that the future plan God has for all of His people, (both for Israel and the Church), are for our eternal good and spiritual welfare, as well as our temporal and physical needs.
The Lord desires the best for His children even though we may stray far from Him. His plan for His children is to give us a future and a hope. He knows that only as we sever our reliance on the world’s destructive securities and rest our trust entirely on Christ Jesus our Lord, will we break free from the yoke of this world’s slavery.
We have an assurance that whatever we may have to face today, God’s thoughts toward us are only good continually, “‘for I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD. ‘They are plans for peace and not disaster – plans to give you a future filled with hope.'”
Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/jeremiah-29-11
Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/jeremiah-29-11
What Does Jeremiah 29:13 Mean? ►
‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:13(NASB)
Verse Thoughts
The promises of God pepper the pages of scripture like crystal droplets of sparkling rain, sprinkling life into a dry and dusty desert and scattering hope into the hearts of all God’s people. The promises of God tumble and glimmer through the Word of God like a myriad of twinkling stars, peeping through the glowering skies of doubt and sorrow – refreshing the soul, giving hope to the faint-hearted, and providing encouragement to the weary.
Though the context of this verse is Israel’s Babylonian captivity and their eventual restoration and redemption, this precious verse states an eternal principle and timeless promise – that the Lord is ever near to all who seek Him, and those that search for Him aright, are certain of finding Him. This is a verse that promises all those who seek the Lord in spirit and in truth, will be sure to find Him, for the Lord has promised, “you shall seek Me, and find Me, when you shall search for Me with all your heart.”
Israel had been carried into captivity as a consequence of their sin and apostasy, and the people are encouraged by Jeremiah to prepare for a prolonged sojourn in Babylon. They were exhorted to build houses, grow crops, get married, and have children, because God had ordained that the punishment they justly deserved would last for 70 years. Some would die in the land of their captivity, but God had plans for His people. He had plans for their good and not their harm. He had plans to prosper them and to give them a secure future and a great hope.
But during their exile, when they were separated from their promised land, the people were not to forget the Lord. They were to continue to trust Him and teach their children to do the same. And they were given a very special and encouraging promise, “You will seek Me and you will find Me… when you search for Me with all your heart.” God would not be lost to His people forever, but they must set their heart to search diligently for the Lord – to search for Him with ALL their heart, ALL their soul, ALL their mind, and ALL their strength.
The promise given to Israel by Jeremiah was that those who earnestly sought the Lord would find Him. They would discover Him to be the godly Way, the singular Truth, and the Path to perfect peace with God. They were given the assurance that those who diligently and conscientiously look for Him, WILL find Him. They will find Him to be the only Way, the singular Truth, and Life eternal. Those that sincerely search for the Lord will gain the abundant Life He promises – a life that only comes through faith in Christ.
The majority of Israel have yet to discover that the One for Whom they are to diligently seek is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is their Messiah, Who came to rescue them at God’s appointed time as foretold by Scripture. He is their Kinsman-Redeemer and their Dayspring from on High. He is the prophet of the Most High God and a light to lighten the Gentiles. He is the glory of His people Israel and the One Who will heal their soul and guide their feet into the way of peace.
He is the Word made flesh Who came to dwell among His people and to shine light into their darkened hearts. He came to His own people at God’s appointed time – but they did not recognise Him as the only Way, the singular Truth, and Life eternal and He was rejected and cruelly crucified.
As Christians, we already know Him as Jesus our Saviour, for Christ died to bridge the unbridgeable gap between a holy God and the imperfect race of man. But like Israel, we are promised a much deeper knowledge and closer communion with Him, if we will plough into the depths of His Word, reach into the heights of His Truth, and look steadily into the Light of His Countenance – the face of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Like Israel, we have been promised that when we seek Him and search for Him with ALL our heart will find Him. Let us, therefore, with wholeness of heart, fervency of spirit, sincerity of soul, and diligence of mind, freely abandon the good to search for the very best, knowing that ALL
Source: https://dailyverse.knowing-jesus.com/jeremiah-29-13
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