Jeremiah 29:1 (2-3) 4-14 (NRSV)
These are the words of the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the remaining elders among the exiles, and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon…
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them: plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you, and do not listen to the dreams that they dream, for it is a lie that they are prophesying to you in my name; I did not send them, says the Lord.
For thus says the Lord: Only when Babylon’s seventy years are completed will I visit you, and I will fulfill my promise and bring you back to this place. 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. Then when you call upon me and come and pray to me, I will hear you. When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart, I will let you find me, says the Lord, and I will restore your fortunes and gather from you all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.
Devotion
When perusing the scripture options for today’s devotional, I initially rejoiced at the inclusion of Jeremiah 29. It has long been a favorite passage of mine; like many, my focus is immediately drawn to the reassurances from God in verse 11: “For surely I know the plans I have for you…” I mean, what better reason for optimism could a Christian have?
But in thinking about how to connect this passage with the idea of living simply, it’s important to take a look at the backstory. The prophet Jeremiah writes in a time of upheaval, specifically Judah’s defeat and subsequent exile at the hands of the conquering Babylonians. In these words to those exiles, Jeremiah seems to say, “Settle in; this is going to take a while.” The people are encouraged to build, to plant, and to grow their families; all of which are tasks that tend to take a lot of time. We can reasonably suppose that these exiles wanted nothing more than to be back home, and quickly. Jeremiah’s advice is probably the last thing anyone wanted to hear.
In our own lives, how many times have we been frustrated when it seemed that the answer to a question was no, when we really wanted it to be yes? What if part of living simply is doing our best to tolerate situations that at first might seem far from ideal? What if making room for God includes getting comfortable with the possibility that His plans for us might differ from our own plans for ourselves? This passage doesn’t call us to passively sit by and accept all things exactly as they currently are; instead, it encourages us to maintain our identity and connection to the Lord, even in difficult situations. We can always draw on the resources God provides, even in the last place we want to be.
Prayer
O God, prepare our hearts and minds to hear and accept your Word. Help us live simply by silencing in us any voice but your own. Help us make room in our lives for you by practicing radical acceptance of difficult situations, in order to lead us away from pain and into your peace. Amen.
Leslie Bumgarner
Links
Commentary on Jeremiah
About radical acceptance