Hope When You Least Expect It
Jeremiah 29:1-14
Introduction
“Hope is called the anchor of the soul (Hebrews 6:19), because it gives stability to the Christian life. But hope is not simply a ‘wish’ … rather, it is that which latches on to the certainty of the promises of the future that God has made.” -RC Sproul
Hope clings to God’s promises. Life’s hardest seasons threaten that connection. Yet, true hope anchors us in God’s love and strength—even when it seems out of reach.
Our text is from Jeremiah’s prophecy. The “weeping prophet”—spoke God’s word for 40 years. To the exiles in Babylonian Captivity, He offered a warning of suffering as a consequence of rejecting God. He also offered hope: God has not forgotten you. There is hope ahead. Even in exile, hope can be found—sometimes when you least
expect it.
1. Hope Can Be Hard to Find (Jeremiah 29:1)
Imagine life in Babylonian captivity. Displaced from home, stripped of freedom, possessions, and even their spiritual heritage. All dreams, all songs of Zion felt impossibly distant. The heritage of faith as God’s victorious people under the leadership of Moses, Joshua, David, a dream of the very distant past.
Helpless and hopeless, they raise their lament… Psalm 137:1-5 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?”
Have you ever lost hope about something in your life—when things seem beyond repair, out of your control, or faded with time?
2. Four Paths to Hope Hard Places
A. Engage in the Life Around You (29:4-6)
This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: 5 “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. 6 Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!”
This is amazing and unexpected advice - the ‘false prophets’ were saying that the exile wouldn’t be long - just hang on. Jeremiah’s message is: put down roots, it’s going to be a while - your life matters right now, not just in the future.
Peterson: “Your life right now is every bit as valuable as it was when you were in Jerusalem, and every bit as valuable as it will be when you get back to Jerusalem. Babylonian exile is not your choice, but it is what you are given. Build a Babylonian house and live in it as well as you are able.”
We are not always able to wait until times are better to experience hope again. We turn to God by living in the moment - and avoiding isolation.
The Scriptures teach us to focus on “Today”
-Matthew 6:11 “Give us today our daily bread”
-Psalm 118:24 “…Let us rejoice today and be glad.”
Today - engage in the life around you and find what blessing God has for you.
B. Pray for The World Around You (29:7)
And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”
Again - unexpected advice - praying for their captors? For those who had deported them to Babylon? It would have been easy for them to just focus on self- to be introspective and be sad about their circumstances. That’s a place we can visit, but not live. It robs us of the very job that God gave us. Lament is a viable form of prayer and relation to God and the World, but this encouraged them to look beyond themselves.
Why pray for the world around us - even when there are things about it that cause us pain and make us unhappy.
-Ask God to be at work in the world, He hears those prayers
-When things go well in the world around us, we experience prosperity along with it.
-By praying for the world around us, we have opportunity to help show the world the glory of God.
-We are here in this place and time to seek the welfare of others in our parish. Are we making it a better place? -How can you seek the welfare of those around you? What is your prayer for your parish, nation, and world?
C. Focus on God’s Truth (29:8-9)
This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams, 9 because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.
There were false prophets who were downplaying the exile and saying it wouldn’t last long. This might be the message they wanted to hear, but it wasn’t coming from God. It’s easy to just focus in on the messages we want to hear. But we all need to be corrected by God at times. Beware of thoughts that poison your thinking. The enemy is an accuser. Confront them and reject them.
Fill your mind up with truth from the Word! There is nothing more powerful than a Word from The Lord when we feel discouraged and alone. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
D. Remember God’s Good Promises (29:10-11)
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. 11 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.
The truth is that it would be 70 years - many of the people reading this letter from Jeremiah would not live to see the promises come to pass. But they could raise their children to expect them and be a witness for the Lord during their lives.
Let each one of God’s promises prompt you to faithfulness and joy in your life. Don’t get distracted by the struggles - answer each one with an assured, confident word of hope.
3. Find Hope in God's Plans for His People (Jeremiah 29:11-14)
-He Controls the Future (11)
-A God Who Listens (12)
-A God Who is Near (13)
-A God who Gathers His Children (14)
He promises ‘I will be found’! What a marvelous promise! This is the peace he promises. John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
4. True Story: Hope in Unexpected Places
At 17 years old she had recently graduated from high school and was preparing to go off to college. Her sister invited her to go for a swim at a beach on Chesapeake Bay. She wrote, “I remember standing on that raft, not knowing —never guessing—that in the next second my life would forever change.” Joni Eareckson dove into the water but it was too shallow and as a result her neck was broken. This diving accident left Joni a quadriplegic in a wheelchair, without the use of her hands. After two years of rehabilitation, she emerged with new skills and a determination to help others in similar
situations. During her rehabilitation, Joni learned how to paint with a brush between her teeth. Her paintings sought after and collected. She has authored over 50 books and has won many awards and honors. Joni Eareckson Tada wrote “The best we can hope for in this life is a knothole peek at the shining realities ahead. Yet a glimpse is enough. It’s enough to convince our hearts that whatever sufferings and sorrows currently assail us aren’t worthy of comparison to that which waits over the horizon.”
Find hope when you least expect it ... when it's hard to find, when God is at work, God's Mission, and God's Plans. Hope isn't found within ourselves, it comes from God.
Conclusion: Call on God and Seek Him With your Wholeheartedly
Whatever “exile,” pain, or sorrow you face—turn to God.
Engage in the life around you.
Pray for the world around you.
Focus on God’s truth.
Remember His promises.
Seek the Lord—He will be found!
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Discussion Questions
1. How is biblical hope different from simply wishing things would get better? What are some promises from God that anchor your personal hope?
2. Why did God tell the exiles to build, plant, and marry—to put down roots in a place they wanted to escape? What does this teach us about finding meaning in challenging seasons?
3. What does it look like to “engage” and be faithful in your circumstances right now, even if they’re not what you would choose?
4. Why do you think God asked His people to seek the peace of Babylon, their place of exile, and pray for their captors? Jeremiah instructs us to pray for people who are very different in ideology, practice, and religion. How does that instruct us in prayer?
5. What types of “false hope” or lies distract us today—in society, culture, or our own thoughts? How do you keep your heart centered on God’s truth?
6. How do God’s promises to the exiles (and to us) shape how we endure long periods of waiting and hardship?
7. How is Jeremiah 29:11 often used today? What is your opinion about the appropriateness of using this passage in that way?
8. The Lord says, “I will be found by you.” How does this promise impact the way you pray and seek Him today?
9. Jesus offers peace not “as the world gives” (John 14:27). How can we experience God’s peace even when our
circumstances don’t change? When you need assurance of the hope you have in God, what words of Jesus mean the most to you?
10. What else did you want to talk about today?
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References
http://www.joniandfriends.org/radio/4-minute/anniversary-diving-accident/
