Most of us are familiar with Jeremiah 29:11 - God's plans to give us a hope and a future--but I want to draw your attention to the surrounding text. This portion below, is from Jeremiah's prophecy to the Jewish captives in Babylon who had been enslaved by Nebuchadnezzar.
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Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I HAVE CAUSED TO BE CARRIED AWAY from Jerusalem to Babylon:
Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit. Take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may bear sons and daughters—that you may be increased there, and not diminished. And seek the peace of the city where I HAVE CAUSED YOU to be carried away captive, and pray to the Lord for it; for in its peace you will have peace. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not let your prophets and your diviners who are in your midst deceive you, nor listen to your dreams which you cause to be dreamed. For they prophesy falsely to you in My name; I have not sent them, says the Lord.
For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.
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God Himself caused His own people to be taken into captivity. This is why I hesitated to share a few months ago when God first shared this with me. Gretchen of 5 years ago would not have been able to bear this knowledge, and some of you reading this now may be offended at the notion. Why would God cause the people He loves so very much, and is dedicated to, and has put on the world stage--why would He let--or worse yet, "cause"-- something so awful happen to them?
I'm no theologian, but having been in my own captivity, and seeing what it has wrought in me, I now am getting a glimmer of understanding. God IS working all things together for good--for my prodigals' good and also for MY GOOD!
Hebrews 5:8 says this, speaking of Jesus:
"Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered."
Have I not also learned obedience as a result of this fiery trial (and others)? Indeed, I have! I have learned a lot of things, like how to depend on God, stick closer to Him, I've learned to be patient, enduring, tenacious. I've learned so much, have gained so many tools...I really am not able to fully assess in this moment what God has been able to work in me as a result of my hardships.
Perhaps, God was also after this kind of outcome with the Israelites. It seems so harsh--and it is--but Hebrews 12:11 really gives the wisdom behind it:
"Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."
Key words: "to those." Only the people who have embraced their suffering and yielded to the training that can occur get to experience the peaceable fruit of righteousness that God intends.
Side bar: I don't know that God drums up particular trials, but I do feel certain that life in a fallen world readily dishes out trials to ALL, and God uses them for His purposes.
When you look at the discipline of nations, cultures, on a broad table, there are casualties in the process of bringing this peaceable fruit to those who allow the chastening. I REFUSE TO BE A CASUALTY! I am going to be a receiver of this peaceable fruit that is promised! I AM a receiver!
While on the one hand I might cry out, "I don't deserve this!" and it may or may not be true, it most certainly is true that there was dross in me, complacency in me, stubbornness in me, an independent spirit in me---that had to be dealt with if I was ever going to go where God desired to lead me in Him.
Oh, the MANIFOLD WISDOM of God! It would behoove us to trust Him without reservation, no matter what anything looks like.
So the actual reason I started writing this is because of what God told the captives to do--while still in captivity, still waiting to be rescued and delivered: build houses, plant gardens, get married, have kids, and be a blessing to those around you (including your enemies)---in other words, KEEP LIVING YOUR LIFE IN THE WAITING!
AND OH THE PROMISE!!!!: "I WILL bring you back from your captivity; I WILL gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I WILL bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive."
"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29:11)