Now you probably know what Jeremiah 29:11 says because it has been quoted over and over, pasted on t-shirts and mugs and pens and bookmarks etc. etc.... Honestly, it is some awesome, uplifting, inspirational and wise scripture, but it is also more than just a happy thought and it can be applied to real life in a much better way than just inspiring people. I will try and break down the problem I have..
"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 (NIV)
By itself this verse isn't really that bad, the problem I have with it is the way it is being used. From what I have collected, this verse is quoted because it has words like, "prosper" and "hope" it is also very center focused on Me, Me, Me. We want to believe that God is watching out for us and has good plans for us, yes of course. But there is so much more in these verses than what people would like to acknowledge.
I have heard this verse quoted many, many times, and when I finally decided to look it up for myself I was very surprised at what I saw after verse 11..
"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."
Jeremiah 29:12-14 (NIV)
Now, while you think about that I'm going to take you somewhere else and we will come back to verse 12-14.... Let us unpack this for a second... Firstly, the context here isn't some sort of wisdom literature, actually the context is right at the front of the chapter.
"This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon."
Jeremiah 29:1 (NIV)
Okay, so now that we know that we can see that this is a promise from God, to his people in that context..it's kind of weird that we would just crop out that one verse because it sounds inspirational and prosperous. That's called the prosperity Gospel. I listened to an amazing preacher named Matt Chandler, who once said "If you put any word in front of the Gospel, it is no longer the Gospel." The prosperity Gospel is focused on YOU not on Christ. By simply quoting a verse that is good for you and is taken out of context is preaching the prosperity Gospel and is saying that God will help you do awesome things, but you really have no commitment to Christ before or afterwards.
Back to verse 12-14. I personally believe that many Christians who quote Jeremiah 29:11, aren't intending to preach the prosperity Gospel, they believe in a developing relationship with Christ but they are just forgetting the biggest part of that verse...12-14... Just to remind you about those verses I will quote it again! :)
"Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the Lord, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile." (emphasis mine)
Jeremiah 29:12-14 (NIV)
Obviously verse 14 is directed back to the promise that God is making to bring them out of exile, but verses 12 and 13 really complete the devotion that we need to have to God. Now lets look at Jeremiah 29:11-13...
"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. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV)
Now I love that! I love that when we quote that we pronounce our devotion to God and that he wants to give us good things but not just for our good! We seek God, not for the gifts and the prosperity, but to know him closer and to seek his heart and will. We pray to God and he listens! We seek and we will find!
I want to be clear that I love this scripture when quoted thoughtfully and I believe the best in Christians and don't plan on tearing others down. I just really want to make people aware that there is more beyond the t-shirt, popular verses. I encourage you to open God's word and when you see something you like, look before and after the verse that stands out to you. You might just find that God is trying to tell you something so much more meaningful and awe-inspiring!
Thanks for listening to my rant.
Spencer L.
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