Rise Up! Lessons From Ezra On Walking With Your Head Held HighНамуна

Decades before Ezra and his crew rolled into Jerusalem, God spoke to His people through a prophet named Jeremiah. Twenty-nine chapters into the book of Jeremiah, you’ll find one of the most beloved verses in the Bible: “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” (Jeremiah 29:11). 

Who doesn’t want to know that God has great plans for us that will give us a bright future and hope? That is, if it weren’t for the pesky verse just before this one. In verse 10, the Lord says, “You will be in Babylon for seventy years.” 

Wait just a second, God. Your plans, those good and hopeful plans, are going to leave your people in exile for seventy years?! 

That’s right. This prophesy was delivered to people in exile who would remain in exile for another generation. Many of the people hearing those words would never again see Jerusalem. They would live the rest of their lives in captivity. 

Does that negate the rest of that beautiful promise? No. 

It does remind us that hope is not based on the change of our immediate circumstance but based on the long-term faithfulness of God. The Lord cares more about redemption than momentary relief. 

There is no better plan, future, or hope than redemption. 

Redemption came through the very presence of God who was available to people in the midst of their suffering and exile. Verses 12-14 continue on saying, “‘In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,’ says the Lord.” 

I can’t think of anything more hopeful and encouraging than knowing God is listening to our prayers—nothing more uplifting than knowing God will be found when we seek Him with our whole hearts.

Second, God declares, “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land” (Jeremiah 29:14). The Lord promised to bring an end to the slavery of His people and return them back to their homeland. While God’s promise might not come to completion in the timeline the exiles had in mind, His promise would be proven true, nonetheless. 

Just because our plans and dreams align with the Lord, it doesn’t mean we are aligned with His timing. God may bring us to a place of exile requiring us to wait while He does a transforming work in our hearts and lives.