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In Jeremiah 29, we see a letter from the prophet, Jeremiah being sent to the first wave of captives who were sent to Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1). False prophets, including Hananiah, were telling the people that the captivity would be short-lived (Jeremiah 28:10-11), but God thought otherwise (Jeremiah 29:8-10; cf. Jeremiah 25:12).
The following are 5 simple steps that the people were to follow, so that God might bless them while in Babylonian captivity:
1) Continue to Do What You are Supposed to Do (Jeremiah 29:5-7).
After a brief introduction regarding the Israelites’ less than ideal situation, God is telling them that they must “keep on keeping on.” They must “stay the course.” They are not to sit around and do nothing, waiting to be delivered. God wants them to have an abundant life in their current situation as they await the future plans He has for them.
Similarly, God wants us to live an abundant life now (John 10:10), even if our present circumstances are less than ideal (Philippians 4:11-12). The idea is that we must not sit around and do nothing — we must act (2 Thessalonians 2:7-13).
2) Turn to the Lord and Do Not Listen to Bad and Deceptive Advice (Jeremiah 29:8-9).
False prophets were telling the people what they wanted to hear and the people were trusting in them. How often do we seek and give bad advice? We are to obey God (Romans 6:17) and direct others to God (Matthew 28:19-20; Mark 16:15-16), for only God knows the plans He has for us.
3) Wait on the Lord (Jeremiah 29:10; cf. Psalm 27:14; Psalm 37:34).
As a people, the Jews would not return to the promised land until God was ready to return them. This is a classic lesson in God’s timing. God’s timing is not our timing. However, waiting on the Lord does not mean for us to do nothing. We are to continue with Step 1, doing our part (1 Corinthians 15:58), and in God’s time, He will do His part (cf. Gal. 4:1-5 – see commentary).
4) Receive God’s Promise (Jeremiah 29:11).
And here is “the verse of hope.” After God spent a few verses setting up the background of what the Jews were to do in the present, and how long they would have to do it, He tells them that He has great future plans for them.
Similarly, we need to receive God’s promise as our own. While this promise was to the Jews eons of time ago, we can also see in the above verse, God’s same desire for all humanity, if they will only execute the next step.
5) Seek God with All Your Heart (Jeremiah 29:12-14).
In the above three verses, is the key to understanding Jeremiah 29. This is the condition to receiving the plans that God has for us in verse 11. God’s plans for us will come to fruition when we seek Him “with all of our heart“ (Jeremiah 29:13). The New Testament tells us that it is in and through Jesus Christ that all of the promises of God find their fulfillment (2 Corinthians 1:19-20; cf. Romans 15:8-12; Colossians 1:21-29).
Conclusion:
We all experience obstacles and go through various trials of life and living. When we find ourselves in these situations, we must never give up. We must do our part and continue living and being fruitful (John 15:1-8). God does have a plan for us, but His plan might not be on our timing.
We must pray to God and when we do, He will listen and He will reveal His Son to us. We must seek Him with all of our hearts. Then and only then will we find Him (Acts 17:26-27; cf. Deuteronomy 4:29; Psalm 145:18). When we fully obey the Lord, He will bring us out of captivity to sin (Romans 6:17; cf. John 8:34), and we can then experience the plans He has for us (Romans 8:28).
God’s plans for a hopeful future for us, not only includes our living an abundant life here on earth (John 10:10), but an eternal life with Him in Heaven (1 Peter 1:3-4; Revelation 21:1-3).
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