God has a Rescue Plan for us in turbulent times that will not Rescue us Immediately, but Definitely for the Purpose of Prospering us… Jeremiah 29:11.

🌷 People of God facing difficult situations in the Lockdown with rampant increase of the various mutations of the Covid-19 virus today can take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11, a verse many of us cling to. But we must remember that it is not a promise to immediately rescue us from any 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 for the future in 2021. This promise was given to the Israelites before they went into captivity for 70 years. This promise is still working for Israel as the desert land is blooming and prospering in every sphere.

🌷 As we leave a turbulent and tumultuous 2020 and enter into an unknown 2021, it is helpful to remember that God has a plan for our lives and this verse is one such reminder. Many Christians know and cling to Jeremiah verse 29:11 by itself without understanding the historical perspective. When we understand the background to this verse, we will find that it takes on a deeper, more relevant and even more powerful meaning in our lives in this lockdown.

🌷 Jeremiah spoke these words to the Israelites who had been living under the bondage of the Egyptian Empire, and then the Babylonian Empire, before eventually being carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. It is one thing to come under bondage but another thing to be forced to move from your homeland to another country. Jeremiah was clarifying a false prophecy by Hananiah who said that God would deliver His people in two years and that is what everyone wanted to hear. It cost Hananiah his life for lying. His message undoubtedly sounded appealing to the people, Jeremiah 28:15-17.

🌷 Jeremiah told the people they would live in Babylon for at least 70 years, which is 68 years longer than what they heard before. Therefore, they should settle down, build houses, marry and even pray for the peace and prosperity of the city in which they will be their temporary home, Jeremiah 29:4-10.

🌷 Child of God, Remember this, God knows exactly what He is doing for us in this lockdown. He will go ahead of us in 2021. We can take comfort in knowing that God promises to be there for us in every situation in this lockdown. 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.

🌷 So we can’t take just Jeremiah 29:11, we have to follow the verses Jeremiah 29:12&13. We have to do the calling and seeking before He can reveal the good plan that is going to prosper us in a bad situation. We have the human tendency of reading into scripture with our own desired meaning, instead of asking the Holy Spirit to help us draw out of Scripture the original meaning intended by God and His prophet. God has a good and great plan for us in 2021; trust His plans as we continue to seek Him with all our hearts in this lockdown… Amen. 🙏

anniekoshy@God’s Thirstydeer 🦌 Breaking the Chain with You… ⛓️