Jeremiah 29: 14
“I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” NIV
I heard a beautiful sermon on the 29th chapter of Jeremiah this morning. I’ve known and loved Jeremiah 29:11 for some time. Earlier in my project, I worked through verses 11, 12 and 13, but I stopped short of tackling verse 14. The image of God banishing the Israelites into exile was not a comfortable one for me. I don’t want to think that I, too, may be carried into exile. I prefer to think of exile being caused by my own choices, or by external forces.
But, this morning, as I read verse 14, I was struck by this, “I carried you into exile.”
Regardless of how I arrive at places or exile in my own life, God never fails to carry me. I am His child. I am gripped tightly in the palm of His hand, and nothing can touch me that doesn’t first past through His fingers.
That doesn’t mean that life here will always be pleasant … there will be times of exile … but, it does mean that I will not be deserted. Regardless of my earthly circumstances or of my own perspectives, I am carried by the hand of God.
That’s pretty powerful.
That’s what I’ll think about today.
365 Days of Peace 