"God Gives Us a Future" - reflecting on Jeremiah 29:1-14 in terms of family life

1. Introduction to Passage

The present situation in which we find the people of the southern kingdom of Israel was not as they would have wanted. They were in exile in the foreign land of Babylon, far north from their beloved homeland; and these people wondered if they had any sort of future at all.

Many people now today wonder about their futures, and what is the point of it all. Their life has not shaped up the way they wanted, and there seems to be little hope of any improvement.

The prophet Jeremiah continually alerts us to the reality that unless we are inclined towards finding our spiritual home in God, then we can’t expect the future to unfold in positive directions.

Following the flow of Jeremiah’s letter that we read here, as Jeremiah speaks the very words of God to the Israelite exiles, we can start to sense some of the principles that we can be applying in our lives, and especially in our homes with our children, so that we might embrace the best of God’s future.

2. Background Information

The people of Israel in the 6th Century (before Jesus came) were slack in the ethical requirements of the practice of their faith, and thus the strength of their community disintegrated, and they became a ‘sitting duck’ for the invading Babylonians. Many people (b/t 4-20,000) were forcibly taken north into exile in Babylon.

Whereas they had reasonable social freedom and economic opportunity whilst in Babylon, these exiles had experienced their homeland destroyed, left behind family, had to confront a very different culture, and lost access to the traditional centre of their spirituality (the temple in Jerusalem).

In many ways, life seemed to be over and their future non-existent. They are living their lives subject to a foreign power, far away from where they’d prefer to be. This is not the life they want! Yet they would need to accept their own responsibility for their current situation, and consider what they would need to change to foster better possibilities.

Our lives are often not what we want them to be. Sometimes this is because we have made some very bad decisions, and we must face up to this fact! Sometimes our troubled circumstances can be ascribed to the thoughtless actions of another. Sometimes we feel oppressed simply because we live in a fallen and desperate world – way different from the way God intended it to be. Whatever the case, life can be very, very hard! We can be hurt, we can be isolated, and we can feel emotionally spent!

Sometimes we might think that God has gone missing! Yet, does God really go missing? This passage, along with the whole flow of the Bible, says that ‘no’, God never really goes missing! Sometimes it is very difficult for God to look upon the things we do to ourselves and each other, yet still God is not far away. One recorded instance of this is in the early chapters of Genesis, when Adam was hiding in the Garden of Eden, not wanting to be exposed for his rebellion; yet God was still right there asking, “Adam, Adam, Where are you?” (Gen 3:9).

3. A Reassuring Letter

So, despite the people of Judah’s ethical and spiritual apathy, and their resultant exile in Babylon, God was still there for them, caringly waiting for their spiritual awakening!

God guided Jeremiah to write a very special letter to these people to remind them of this very fact. This would not mean that life would become sweet necessarily, for they would remain in exile until political circumstances changed, but they would again have the opportunity of experiencing spiritual peace, hope and purpose. God would be the sustaining dynamic in their lives, if they showed themselves willing, through whatever challenges they encountered.

This period in exile was to be God’s agent in reforming the people, and God (through Jeremiah) asks for their co-operation in this process. They would have to accept their ‘medicine’, take the opportunity to reflect on previous misdemeanours and consider what the important things in life are! This would be an opportunity to freshen up their commitment to God and become wholehearted in their faith. Appreciating God’s nearness these Israelites were to get on with life, in terms of those areas mentioned in verses 5-9 …

> marrying and producing children, and nurturing such offspring toward maturity and adulthood (v.6)

> creating homes with happy living environments, and putting food on the table (v.5).

> considering the well-being of the whole of the community, and appreciating the inter-connected nature of life (v7). (This might have been the last thing on the mind of the exiles in Babylon, but nonetheless if they were to truly restore their relationship with God, then had to seek the welfare of others around them.)

> listening and responding to the voices of truth (v.8b-9). False prophets in Jeremiah’s time (to propel their own popularity) were telling the people that God would resolve their exile in quick time – denying the need to thoroughly work through the process of repentance and contribute to their current community for a number of decades; this ‘quick-fix’ mentality simply was not the truth or God’s intention.

Let’s then focus together on the beautiful words that follow …

"For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you.
When you search for me, you will find me;
if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord,

… and then this letter goes on with words particularly relevant to the ancient Israelites, but also to any who have known God previously then strayed …

… and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile".

This reassures us of some very significant insights about each of our lives

> God has a plan for each of our lives, which will provide for a purposeful future filled with hope (whatever environmental situation we currently find ourselves in)

> God will hear all the sincere cries of our heart, and be available to us for comfort, guidance & strength

> God will rebuild our lives piece by piece, and restore us toward the original intention behind our creation, until such a time arrives that we go into all eternity perfected.

The people of Judah had felt that they had lost the presence of God, but here Jeremiah says to them that all they have to do is sincerely open their heart to the possibility of God’s nearness, and God will be found! They will be lifted up from the limits of exile, with God working toward their best interests. In the same way, we can be lifted from our feelings of being in exile in this world, towards a hope-filled life. It is worth remembering that when we’re in ‘a dark patch’, there remains a way forward if we trust in God!

4. Application to Family Life

What elements here can be applied to family life and the bringing up of children??

(a) God has his hand {lightly} on each child’s life (Psalm 139:13-16; Jer 1:4-8).

(b) God has dreams concerning a great future for each child. This dream or plan is the best case scenario imaginable, for it involves a person’s complete well-being.

(c) Christian parents have the responsibility to introduce their children to God through Jesus – in such a way that in time these children will decide for and develop a personal relationship with Jesus. This is so a child will truly be in a position to search for Jesus with all their heart, and thus be found. Our homes should contain and reveal such a God consciousness that all within, and also all those who visit, will sense it immediately and impactingly.

(d) That the church community surrounding such families will be a helpful and resourceful body that makes the parents’ job easier. This will be especially the case where parents are struggling for answers.

(e) Parents are to seek God’s future for their children rather than whatever it is that they have conjured up themselves. Whereas they should be in a position to discern and offer guidance, the most important tool will be prayer, and the type of close connectedness with God, that will sense the heights of God’s dreams and plans for their children, well above and beyond their own wishes and expectations.

5. Conclusion

So, if we are not to repeat the mistakes of the ancient Israelites when they ignored God and tried to do things independently, where whole families suffered the pain of exile, then we will carefully read Jeremiah’s letter with a view to our own home and God’s current place within it. In this way we will best discover God’s future.

We here today remain with imperfect natures, surrounded by other people with imperfect natures, living within a complex world; yet God’s Spirit is seeking to draw close and renew us daily, opening up the best possible outcomes. Our children, and the younger members of our community, need us to be listening and responsive to God’s invitation.