"This is what the Lord says: 'You will be in Babylon for seventy years. But then I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.' " (Jeremiah 29: 10-11, NLT)
Verse 11 of Jeremiah is probably one of the most quoted scriptures in the Old Testament. I know it ranks quite high. We want to know that we have a God who loves us and cares about us. He wants our future to be bright! But, in order for God's plans to succeed in our lives, we must seek out what they are and learn to understand God's will.
There were those from Judah who had been taken captive and sent into exile to Babylon. They included the priests, elders, prophets, court officials, craftsmen, etc. Jeremiah is writing a letter to them, as revealed to him by the Lord. "Oh, by the way, you will be in Babylon for 70 years. But, after that, good things are going to happen!" I can see them now, "Oh, yea! I can do that. I can hold on for that long since I know good is coming." Right!!
Psalm 90: 10 states, "Seventy years are given to us! Some even live to eighty." I know there are those who don't live to be 70 yrs. old. But, basically, life is short when compared to eternity. A letter has been written to us---God's Word. Just like the captives in exile, we are given a certain number of days to live upon this earth, after which God will take us home. We may have trials, sorrows, and disappointments. Given what our future will be like in eternity with God, this life here is but a vapor, so we can endure. God will give us a future and a hope---not only here on earth, but for eternity!
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