Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
“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.”
This passage is very specific about timing and context. God is speaking to people who have been forcibly removed from their home and are living under a foreign power. False prophets were telling them that rescue was coming quickly, that Babylon would fall, and that triumph would come soon.
God corrects that message directly. The exile would last longer than they wanted, and instead of resisting or withdrawing, they were commanded to build lives, raise families, pray for Babylon, and seek its welfare. That would have been a hard message to hear. God does promise restoration, but not before calling his people to be faithful right where they were.
Reading this today, I cannot help but think about how easy it is to speak negatively about the place I live. It is common to focus on what is wrong, what feels broken, or what we disagree with. Yet God did not tell his people to undermine Babylon or curse it. He told them to pray for it and contribute to its good. Their well-being was tied to the well-being of the place they lived, even though it was not their ideal home, or even a place that honored God. That principle still matters. Christians are called to be a stabilizing and hopeful presence, not a hostile one.
What I need to do is be intentional about making the place I am in better because I am in it. People rarely respond well to constant opposition, but they do notice humility, service, and positivity. God is often known to outsiders through the way his people live among them. I want to be clearer about what I am for, not just what I am against, and to be a blessing even when I disagree. That kind of action is not as flashy, but it is deeply biblical.