Settle in, Y'all!

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Jeremiah 29:1-14

Several years ago I found myself plucked from the only place I had ever lived and dropped into the very last place on earth I would have chosen to move. I prayed some of the most fervent prayers of my life in that place--all of which were along the lines of begging God to, “Please deliver me from this pit of despair!” 

I guess you can say I empathize with the Israelites in their Babylonian exile.

Relocations--even when voluntary--are disorienting. The landscape, dialect, food, and weather are different. The culture is different, and the natives may or may not be friendly.

What’s an Israelite to do? 

Let’s start with what NOT to do: resist acclimating to the new locale. Rebel against the new culture and traditions. Refuse to make new friends with the locals. The Israelites were instructed in these verses to do the opposite (vs 5-7). God was inviting them to make themselves at home! “Y’all won’t live here forever, but it’s gonna be awhile. Settle in!”

God took it one step further by instructing them to seek peace and prosperity for their new home and to pray specifically for those things. Can you imagine praying prosperity upon your captors? It’s hard to pray for things that we would not have chosen for ourselves, but those prayers have the potential to transform us.

The most familiar verse from Jeremiah 29 is verse 11: “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.” It’s often quoted with the individual in mind; however, the “you” is a plural “y’all.” The first readers understood this as a promise to them in their corporate exile: they would not be abandoned or left forever. The promise was (and is) to the community, the entire body of believers. He knows the plans he has to prosper us--not just Americans. He knows the plans He has to give us hope and a future--not just members of one race, political party, or socioeconomic group over another. 

Everything has changed around us this year. The culture and traditions we love have been rendered temporarily impossible, and the locals aren’t always friendly these days. We know we won’t live here forever, but it could still be awhile. 

What’s a modern-day exile to do?

Let’s start with what NOT to do: sowing seeds of division amongst the locals. Withholding kindness based on someone’s political affiliation. Using election results to justify less than Christ-like behavior. God instructs us to act differently. Are you actively seeking peace for Chatham county, North Carolina, and the United States? Do you pray for those who oppose you?

I was eventually delivered from the “pit of despair,” but not before God used the experience to transform me. When I chose to embrace my new surroundings, God presented me with the gifts of lifelong friendships and new depths in my relationship with Him. How can you embrace your surroundings, no matter how tumultuous, today?

1 Comment

A great list of what NOT to do, Jessica!
Really great. And the gifts that came by virtue of your “exile,” there’s so much hope there.

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