https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+29%3A10-14&version=NRSVACE (Jeremiah 29:10-14) In all likelihood, you are probably familiar with these words from Scripture: “For surely I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord, “plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.” You’ve probably seen them on graduation cards, encouragement cards, posters and plaques in Christian bookstores, or other Christian merchandise such as coffee mugs. They are beautiful, nice, comforting, strengthening words, but we need to ask, What are they really all about? What is their meaning for us? The way this verse is sometimes used seems to imply God has plans to give individuals a prosperous career, good health, or even money in the bank. I’ve seen it used in the spirit of patriotism for our nation – God has plans for America. I’ve heard people use it while pursuing their personal dream – God is backing me up on my dream. The truth is, this is not a good use of this verse. At the same time, it holds some good news for us. If we look at it carefully and try to understand the author’s original intention, then we can apply it meaningfully. When we are studying Bible passages, it is wise to look at them in context so we can learn their true meaning and not twist them into something we want them to say. We need to ask: • Where is this verse found? • Where is the book, which contains the verse, in context of the salvation story? • What kind of literature is this? Is it a narrative? Is it from a poem? Is it some wisdom literature? Is it a letter? • Where do we find this verse within the context of the narrative? Is it at the beginning? Is it in the middle? Is it at the end of the story? It is also important, before we even tackle a book of the Bible, to look at the introduction in order to get a feel for the lay of the land. All of this matters when attempting to correctly understand the text. Today’s verse is found in a letter from Jeremiah the prophet to the surviving elders of the exiles, priests, and those who had been dragged off from Jerusalem to Babylon as punishment for their unfaithfulness to God. The situation was this: the covenant relationship the people of Israel had with God had been broken by them. They were disobedient and did not follow the commands and statutes God gave them to operate by as a community. God finally reached His boiling point, and so now the Israelites found themselves deported. They were refugees living in a strange, new land. Back in those days, when world countries like Babylon conquered a nation, they would disperse a good share of the population so they would be less likely to cause trouble later on. This dispersion was tough on these people. They didn’t know the language or the customs. They must have felt far from God in His Temple, and they were homesick. We get a feel for their sorrow in Psalm 13:7: “By the rivers of Babylon we wept.” As they experienced this painful new reality, some false preachers tried to put a positive spin on their exile. God told us in our dreams that this exile won’t last very long. Don’t sweat it. Jeremiah is writing a response to these false prophesies. His response is spoken on behalf of God, and it says basically says this: Those preachers are wrong. You better get settled in. Build houses. Plant your gardens. Eat from those gardens. Start families. Seek the welfare of the city you’re in and pray for its welfare, for therein you will find your welfare (Jer. 29:5). Their exile was not an imprisonment. The people were not behind bars or barbed wire, but were free to make a life in this foreign land. According to God’s plans, it would be a seventy-year stay. Jeremiah tells the people that God has a promise for them. After seventy years, God will bring you back just as He promised (Jer. 25:12). Our verse in chapter 29 is part of that promise. God says, “For surely I know the plans I...