Get Real November 16 Devotional
November 16, 2024
JEREMIAH 29:4-6 | 4 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.
What was the opportunity Jeremiah saw in the disaster of the fall of Jerusalem and Babylonian exile?
One opportunity was to move beyond emotional trauma towards the rewarding tasks of regular life. Building homes, planting gardens, and constructing families are all mentioned. Those activities all include hope for the future and investment in the present. They occupy our hearts and produce beautiful things; living spaces, plants and food, and people connected in bonds of love. These activities are productive, real, and concrete.
There was an opportunity to embrace Jewish life in Babylon, instead of remaining stuck in shock, anger, and bitterness. In doing so, the exiles won a victory, of sorts, over their captors, who took their land but not their culture or identity.
What activities in your life are most productive?
Have you ever wallowed in misery?
