Jeremiah’s Letter to Exiles
Jeremiah 29:1, 4-14 Seek the welfare of the city; I know the plans I have for
you.
(John 14:27)
Where We are Now
This is not good news. Well, not to the people who thought God should take them home, who thought God should restore Israel to Israel, and make the kingdom real again. This is not good news to those in exile. Why not? Well, it’s going to take longer. It’s going to take long enough that you can plant and harvest. You can marry your children off. You can have grandchildren. It’s going to take a while, says the Lord.
And so, God says, do your work there. Don’t wait to come home, live there. Be the people of God there. Not in the ideal land of milk and honey, but there, in exile, be the people of God. Seek the welfare of the place you are, seek the best for where you are now, and don’t listen to pipedreams.
There is something coming, but it’s going to take a while, says the Lord. So while you’re waiting…So while we’re waiting, how do we seek the welfare of the city in which we reside? How do we seek God when we’re in exile? How are we the people of God here?
