God has a plan to prosper you… what to do while you wait

Many of us who are trying to do the right thing, trying to love, trying to be like Him will be finding the going is hard. We hold onto Him tight. We might even get into the whole “forsaking self” rubbish theology and we end up learning about a very harmful and damaging “theology of suffering”.

But Jesus came to give you life abundantly and He wants you to live your life, the life He gave you. So many Christians in desperate times hold onto scripture such as this one… but they end up holding on and on and on forever. Let’s look at this scripture and then see the context of the scripture.

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

These are fabulous words.

The bit we often miss

Now look at the promises in the next verses:

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 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

“Yay Lord!” I hear us all cry. Verses 11-14 are just the tonic we need. But did you see verse 10 – it’s going to take a while to happen.

This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.

Ouch. 70 years? The promise is wonderful, but it will only be fulfilled in 70 years time?

What should we do while we wait?

What are we meant to do for those 70 years?! The answer is to be found in verses 4 to 9

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.

Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” – Jeremiah 29:4-7

So what now for you?

So while you wait for your promises, here are EXAMPLE of what you could be doing:

1. Build houses
2. Settle down
3. Plant gardens and eat what they produce
4. Marry and have sons and daughters;
   
5. Then find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage
6. Seek the peace and prosperity of the city in which you live

If you ever needed to see what God says you should be doing while you’re waiting for your destiny, there it is.

Now, in reality we might not be able to afford houses. Finding a suitable partner can take you until you’re 30+ in modern society. So we can’t take those commands literally.

So what will YOU do while YOU wait? It’s got to be something that works for YOU in YOUR life.

The bottom line

Enjoy your life that He gave you!

He will gradually change you and use you in small ways and then bigger ways and eventually before you know it, then 70 years are up, you’ve increased (not decreased) in health and strength and numbers… and you’re ready for your destiny in Him.