Jeremiah 29:11: What It Actually Means

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare

and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." Jeremiah 29:11

This morning we look at one of the most popular "coffee cup" verses of all time. Jeremiah 29:11 is a verse that every Christian has heard and is often found on coffee mugs, bumper stickers, Facebook posts. When asked what their "life verse" is, a good majority of Christians would probably say Jeremiah 29:11. Yet, what does this verse actually mean?

The problem with these "coffee cup" verses is that many Christians forget one simple thing when they apply them to their lives: context. Although Jeremiah 29:11 is a wonderful verse that we ought to apply to our lives, it is also a verse that has a context, an original purpose, and a God-intended meaning. Apart from looking first at these things, we cannot apply this verse to our lives correctly.

In the context of Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah is talking about the Babylonian exile of the nation of Judah. Judah (the southern kingdom of Israel) had sinned for many years against the Lord, and, despite numerous warnings to repent, the Lord had sent them into Babylonian exile because of their numerous sins. In Jeremiah 29, we find Jeremiah writing a letter to the exiles who are in Babylon, telling them how they ought to conduct their lives amidst their exile. He encourages them to "settle" there, to plant gardens and to marry wives, ultimately because this is what the Lord commanded of them (29:4-9).

However, any mediocre Bible student at this point would be led to ask a question here that demands an answer: what about all of the promises that God had made to Israel? Remember how God promised Abraham and his line (that is, the Israelites) thousands of years back in Genesis 12 about how he would give him a great nation, a blessing, and land? Furthermore, remember God's promise to David in 2 Samuel 7, when God promised the whole nation that there would always be a Davidic king on the throne? Surely it seems none of these things are coming to pass, as the nation of Judah is distant from their own land, under the rulership of a pagan king, and experiencing great distress and oppression. Yet, Jeremiah does not stop his letter there but continues with the following words:

"For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."

Thus, what we find in Jeremiah 29:11 is much more than we often realize. Here we find a great promise to fulfill a promise to the people of Israel when they were in a great time of distress. Here, we find the Lord's great and everlasting goodness towards his people, whom he had to punish for a temporary time, only that he might restore them, just as he had promised.

Yet there is one other thing we must consider when looking at this marvelous verse, namely that it is addressed to God's covenant people, and God's covenant people alone. In Christ, those who are truly God's children can certainly and fully claim this promise for ourselves just as much as the Israelites did for themselves. For does not Romans 8:28 preach to us the same truth? Yet let us note that this promise is not for unbelievers, which Jeremiah 29 makes very clear in the following verses as they speak of the complete destruction of those who did not obey God's law (cf. 29:15-23). The point is this: we misapply Jeremiah 29:11 when we say that it is true for everyone. For this promise is only true for those who have called upon God as their Savior--only for those who have covenanted with the LORD in Christ.

In application today, let us take the following to heart: for those of us who are God's children, God knows the plans he has for us. What great comfort to the Christian soul, and what great peace for the God-fearing mind! Although we know not our plans and our paths, God knows them in full, and offers us this great assurance: that although our paths may look dark and our sorrows may multiply, we know that ultimately God is working all things for our good and his glory and that even amidst our trials, we can take courage knowing that our God plans for us a great hope and future. Surely how great is our marvelous God and Savior Jesus Christ!