God has plans to prosper you... just not the way you think

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

In Jeremiah 28, the Israelites are in exile in Babylon, having been conquered by King Nebuchadnezzar’s army. The prophet Hananiah tells the exiles to take heart, that in two years God will overthrow the Babylonian king and restore Israel to their home. Great news, right?

Only one problem. Hananiah’s prophecy is not from God. He is simply telling the people the “good news” that they want to hear.

In response to Hananiah, God gives Jeremiah the real story. God, through Jeremiah, tells the Israelites to get comfortable in Babylon, for they will be in captivity for 70 years before he leads them back to Israel. He tells them to “seek the peace and prosperity” of Babylon – you know, the ones who are oppressing them – until that day of redemption comes. And in Jeremiah 29:11, God speaks the words that will be an encouragement to millions: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I imagine that while many of you have probably heard Jeremiah 29:11 before, the majority of you have never truly read and understood that verse in its context. I believe that most people who cling to Jeremiah 29:11 see it as a promise from God, dropped from heaven, as a general encouragement that better days are ahead. But when you read the verse in its context, you learn some surprising things about God’s “plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” First and foremost, you learn that these plans will involve SEVENTY MORE YEARS OF CAPTIVITY!!! In other words, everyone hearing this promise will probably die before escaping from Babylon. Yes, God has good plans for them, but these good plans appear to be for the nation of Israel, not necessarily for the specific people hearing Jeremiah’s prophecy, most of whom will die in captivity.

It is a dangerous thing to read a Bible verse out of context. Like Hannaniah telling the people what they want to hear, we can be guilty of making a verse like Jeremiah 29:11 say what we want it to say instead of hearing an actual word from God in context. If you look to Jeremiah 29:11 as a word of hope and encouragement, that is fine. Just be sure that you understand what it really means. It does NOT necessarily mean that your circumstances are going to turn around for the better any time soon. It almost certainly does NOT mean that God is going to give you prosperity and health and all your self-centered heart desires. It DOES, however mean that God is faithful to His people, that evil does not have the final word, and that our job is to be faithful to God in the circumstances in which we find ourselves while we await His deliverance.