“A future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:7,11-13, “‘Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare. ... 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. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.’”

Like the people caught away in exile, we are indeed “strangers in a land that is not yours.” What a wonderful proclamation this passage is of the grace of God, His unfathomable mercy, and His amazing lovingkindness towards us. Even though the nation had listened to false prophets and worshiped false gods and was being carried away into exile in Babylon for seventy years, He is still faithful. His promises are always there for us whenever we choose to turn to Him!

Lord, we turn to You and pray knowing that You listen to us and that You are blessing us to be a blessing to others, even though we are like those in exile in this sin sick world!