Dwell: Living in Exile (Jeremiah 29:4-14)

Aaron Au

October 16th, 2022

Nobody wanted to be there - in exile, living in the land of their enemy, a strange people with strange customs and gods. Of course everyone wanted to go home, to be reunited with their families and to get back to their way of life, the way things were. In the midst of this, God had a message. It wasn't "Hang in there everyone - this time of exile will soon be over." No. God's message was to "Build houses and settle down." Instead of biding their time waiting to get out, God wanted his people to seek the peace and prosperity of the land in which they were living. Afterall, God had a plan and purpose for his people.

What does this mean for us today? Would it be fair to say as God's people we're living in a kind of exile? What are God's plan and purposes for us today?