GOD HAS A PLAN
Have you heard that “God has a plan for your life”? Many Christians will turn to Jeremiah 29:11-13, which says
Jeremiah 29 verses 11 through 13 are widely read, widely quoted and very popular verses. I know many people ‘claim’ these verses as a promise from God to bless their life with a future and a hope. But this is just one example of how people will misunderstand God’s Plan by using an egocentric view of life. I.e., it’s all about ‘me’.
However, if you look at the context of these verses, you can see how many folks take these verses out of context. Read what comes just before and after these verses.
Jeremiah 29:8, “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream.
Verse 9. ‘For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the LORD.
Verse 10. “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.
Verse 11. ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
Verse 12. ‘Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.
Verse 13. ‘You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
Verse 14. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’
Jeremiah chapter 29 is an historical account of the Israelites in exile, as judgment and punishment from God for their disobedience. The prophet Jeremiah confronts the false prophet, Hananiah, who had boldly proclaimed that God was going to free Israel from Babylon in two years.
So, what you are reading and seeing in these verses is God’s great plan and purpose, which is both personal and universal.
The Bible tells us that God has a plan. In fact, the Bible shows us His Master Plan, and you can see and learn about His plan if you are willing to take the time to study and search. And, I will suggest that God’s plan is much bigger than you or me. His plan is about the entire human race, the earth, the sun, the stars and the entire cosmos. And, His Plan is revealed in the first words in the Book of Genesis and continues through the last words in Revelation.
Now, don’t get me wrong. You and I are included in His plan, and we are destined to navigate His plan. But we cannot do that correctly or effectively unless WE KNOW THE WAY AND THE PURPOSE of His Plan.
Jeremiah 29:8-14 gives us a glimpse of God’s Master Plan, Purpose, Design and Method for all of His creation and His created, through these supremely prophetic scriptures. They are both
For All Creation For All People
Universal in scope for all humanity Personal for the individual
Universal as His Plan for all creation Prophetic and specific for the individual
Universal in Purpose Practical in application
Conditional Unconditional
Jeremiah 29:8 warns us “For thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, ‘Do not let your prophets who are in your midst and your diviners deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams which they dream. Verse 9. ‘For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them,’ declares the LORD.
Jesus has also warned us, in our day, to “See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many people” whether through contemporary false teachers, false prophets or by institutional deception – that is, through the church. Jeremiah 29:8-9 is a universal truth to this day, and it is a personal truth for each person who has ever lived or will ever live on this planet.
Verse 10. “For thus says the LORD, ‘When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place (Jerusalem).
Seventy years is the sentence God imposed on the sinful and rebellious Israelites. Significantly and prophetically, the number 70 in the Bible often symbolizes completeness and perfection. In other words, God’s judgment will bring about a more complete, and a more prefect people. It appears in various contexts. For example, In Daniel, the prophecy of “Seventy Weeks” outlines a timeline for significant events related to the Jewish people and the coming of the Messiah (Daniel 9:24).
In this case, the Israelites were to be exiled to Babylon for 70 years, representing a period of judgment and purification (Jeremiah 29:10). This is just one example of God’s method of executing His Plan and Purpose of conforming His people into His image through judgment and correction to prepare us for an eternity with Him and one another in a New Heaven, a New Earth and in the New Jerusalem.
With this as context and background, God then says,
Verse 11), ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope”,
This is a means of reassurance. God is speaking in the present time but is referring to a future time. God is saying that, for those who believe in and follow Him, have a future hope of eternal security.
The result of this 70 years of captivity is found in the following verses
Verse 12, Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. Verse 13. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. Verse 14. ‘I will be found by you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will restore your fortunes and will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile.’
God states and promises that He will bring you back to the place from where I sent you into exile, which is Jerusalem. This was completed for the Israelites after the 70 years of Babylonian exile.
This is also seen in individual lives today, in the lives of those who have rebelled against God, then repented because of their own times of judgment and captivity, then restored to a right relationship with God.
God’s plan for the entire world is universal in scope, purpose, and is conditional upon believing in and submitting to the Lordship of Jesus. Everyone will experience the tribulations, trials, testing and exile from God during their lifetime.
But for those who believe in the Lord God and submit themselves to His authority and Lordship, will find His unconditional love and mercy. To these, His prophetic plan is personal
Please click on this text or image for Part 2 of God’s Plan and Purpose.
Daniel chapter 12 also tells of this plan. God says, “Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued.
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
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