Jeremiah 29:11 KJV
[11] For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
If you read the context in which the verse above was pronounced, you would wonder what good could come out of that situation at the time. Israel had sinned and had been taken into exile. The people of God who were chosen and set apart for His glory had clearly rejected His leadership and had gone after the popular gods of their environment. Despite several warnings and their refusal to heed and return to God, God applied the dire punishments that He had consistently warned His people about. It should not have come as a surprise that God would punish sin, as that has been His consistent nature throughout all of eternity. He makes clear His will, and also provides the grace and help needed for man to live in line with His will. If man chooses to reject His will, man has the consequences of that decision to live with. God has no firm favourites when it comes to sin, and He will punish unconfessed sin, no matter in whom it is found.
This was where the people of God found themselves. So I do not assume that this is addressing only Judah or Israel, remember that we are dealing with a God who is the same yesterday, today and forever. His standards have also not changed or been lowered for anyone, irrespective of the very permissive generation we live in. That is also why the verse above is valid for the times we live in. Just as God punishes unconfessed sin, so does He also show mercy. Just as He is angry with sin, so is He merciful to those who He has made and chosen for Himself, and who return to Him in true repentance. In fact, even to the end of human life, He does not withdraw His mercy until it is too late, and by that time, it is indeed too late. In the midst of the most distressing or depressing of circumstances, God's mercy is the only thing that can birth and sustain hope.
This is a God who is generational in His dealings with men. One generation can decide to ignore Him, yet, like Abraham, Isaiah, and even Jeremiah who received this message, God raises men He can work in and speak through to promote and establish His will. His love is such that is boundless, with no end to the possibilities that His mercy can bring. In punishment here, He was speaking about His good thoughts, not of evil, but of good. He was speaking of plans of peace, not evil. In punishment, He was speaking of plans to bring His people to an expected end. How do you tell people in exile that the end will be good? Only in the hands of the Almighty God can this be possible. It really matters who is speaking into your life. Even if you have sinned, the fact that you are alive means you have access to mercy. Take advantage of it and return to the Lord today. Your eternity will be glad you did. God's time of favour is here.
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