Meditation is Easy ~ Week 10

Jeremiah 29:11-13 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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. Who is Jeremiah?

Jeremiah was a prophet of God. God called him to be "a prophet to the nations." Prophet in the Hebrew definition means one commissioned, enlightened and equipped by God be his spokesman or "mouthpiece." God called Jeremiah to confront the people of Judah and it's capital city, Jerusalem, of their sins. It was after King Solomon's death that Israel split into the two kingdoms of Judah (the southern kingdom) and Israel (the northern kingdom). Jeremiah was from Judah. God used Jeremiah to send a message to the people to repent from their sin. These people were worshiping other gods. God commanded them to "have no other gods before me" in the ten commandments. For 40 years no one responded to this prophet's plea. Then God used him to deliver prediction of the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. Our featured verses, Jeremiah 29:11-13, is a letter written by Jeremiah to the people of Judah while they were captives in Babylon. Just as Jeremiah prophesied, Jerusalem was destroyed and taken captive to Babylon. In this letter God tells the people in captivity that after 70 years are completed in Babylon, He will bring them back to Jerusalem. Jeremiah 29:11-13 says to the captives:

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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. This is the context for the verse. Judah, part of Israel, split from the northern kingdom was in captivity in Babylon. God would keep them there for 70 years before returning home. However, verse 11 gives them hope for the future. These scriptures in the Old Testament and New Testament are intended for us today also. The Word of God is for everyone at all times. So despite it's context in historic times, it is God's words for everyone. When you meditate on his Word, He will reveal what you may need from it . God's Word has Spirit as well as knowledge. It is active and living. It doesn't matter if it is the Old Testament or the New Testament, it is meant for us today, tomorrow, and the future. Don't forget that God's words, unlike any other words, have spirit thus have power. Meditate on his words, and your spirit is empowered. Now that you have a little insight into the writer of the book of Jeremiah and the times, you can understand a time and place for your verse. I think that it is important to learn the history of God's Word. It can help your imagination wonder back in these ancient days and possibly get a glimpse of the author's mind set. It also helps you to remember the scripture location in the Bible. You will remember Jeremiah was writing a letter to the captives in Babylon. His message to them is about midway in his book of Jeremiah, made up of 52 chapters. This week we have Jeremiah 29:11-13:

Jeremiah 29:11-13 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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. This week meditate on all three verses as a whole. You should know them pretty well by now, so recite them in your head and out loud through out the day. Stick with thinking about all three verses at once. Thank you so much for joining the study. I hope that you wonderful busy women have grown closer to God and received divine revelation.

Love, Truly