In a previous post I shared about how Israel was sent to captivity by God for refusing to obey him. But God didn’t give up on Israel. God promises his people that when the seventy years are over (70 years was the years Babylon would rule) he would “visit” them, and give them his good word to bring them back to the Promised Land (Jer. 25:11-14). God would punish Babylon and put an end to the captivity of His people. Those who would return would be their children and grandchildren.
“For this is what the Lord says: “When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place.” (HCSB and subsequent verses)
God’s good word for Israel (Judah) is that discipline would not be forever. There would come a time when God would “visit” them to intervene and bring them back to the land He gave them as inheritance. God would intervene in their future. If God is disciplining you, wait for his visit. His visit will be pleasant when you have learned what He wants to teach you
In Jeremiah 29:11 God shares his plans for his people:
“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.”
God’s plans for his people Israel were not of complete destruction. God wanted peace for them, not evil. This evil they would experience because of their disobedience for the 70 years would not be forever. Even there he promises to give them peace. In the end, God would give them what they hoped for, to live again in the Promised Land. But God had to discipline his people. Their sanctification was first, before anything else. This would hurt them, but it would bring them back to their God that they had abandoned. But only the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who would experience this.
God’s plans, in this context, and even for us are not in terms of specific or individual plans for each. Plans have to do with the general future of His people. As for specific plans we know that our lives are safe in Christ. The blessings of his grace in Christ are incomparable (Read Ephesians 1). We know that God’s plans are always good for His people. God always wants what is best for us. He wants to give us peace, good and not evil. But many times this is not possible when we live in disobedience to Him. He’ll have to purge us. This process will not be easy or necessarily short. It may be painful. There may be a lot of crying as there was in Israel (read Lamentations). It is important to understand that our sins bring consequences from God. They’re not good consequences. But this doesn’t change God’s plans for us. His plans are our welfare and peace (shalom). He’ll never leave us. He will always be with us even in the midst of our lamenting for our sins.
God’s promise is given in Jeremiah 29:12-13. First we see the condition and promise:
“You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. “
In exile, the people will realize their evil they have done against the Lord and will call upon the Lord. They will “come” to him in prayer asking for his intervention. God would hear them. In exile, the people would seek him wholeheartedly and they would find him.
Lamentations 3:25 says, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the person who seeks Him.“
And also in Lamentations 3:31-32 it says,
“For the Lord
will not reject us forever.
32 Even if He causes suffering,
He will show compassion
according to His abundant, faithful love.“
God is good, always good. If he afflicts, it’s because we need it. But he does not reject us away forever, He is ready to listen to us when we are ready to return to Him looking for Him. This message is for everyone. If you have not given your life to Christ, you can believe in Him today. God is waiting for you to do that! He wants you to seek him for salvation from your sins. He will listen to you when you cry out to Him with all your heart. Romans 10:13 says, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.“
If you are already a Christian but have become a disobedient believer, he wants you to look for him.
God’s Promise:
“I will be found by you”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you”—this is the Lord’s declaration. “I will restore you to the place I deported you from.”
God promises to be found when people seek Him with all their hearts. He would bring his people back to the Promised Land, no matter where they were. God would restore them completely.
Just as the Father restored the prodigal son who returned home after realizing his foolishness, God would do with them. Likewise, he does so with all who are far from Him because of rebellion. He’s ready to receive you, if you repent and look for him.
