Why Jeremiah 29:11 should not be your favorite verse.

Probably about 75% of all Christians that I have met have claimed that Jeremiah 29:11 is their favorite verse, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." It is quite understandable that this would be a favorite verse for so many people; it's a nice feel good verse that promises us that everything is going to be ok! I wonder, however, if any of the people who claim this verse as their favorite understand it, or have even thought about the theological implications of this feel-good interpretation.

Unfortunately for every pseudospiritual Christian teenager out there, this verse is not for them. The downside about the Bible is that you have to read it in context, pulling out verses here and there to prove a point or to self-gratify is an abuse of Scripture and should be abhorrent to all Christians.

First off, if anybody ever bothered to read the rest of Jeremiah 29, which is quite good by the way, one would quickly realize that this verse is set in a very specific sociopolitical landscape. The group it addresses is the Israelites who are in exile in Babylon. The Lord is calling his people to continue to have faith in him, even in this time of exile, even in this time of punishment and exile, the Lord is continuing to honor his covenant with his people. This is a promise to the people of Israel to give them hope in their time of exile. It is interesting to note that much harm has already come to the people of Israel, their entire nation has been conquered and destroyed. Clearly there is a different sense of the word harm being used here; it is not referring to physical harm, rather ultimate destruction as a result of the covenant being dissolved. God is promising to be faithful to his covenant, even and especially at a time when Israel feels abandoned and alone.

Next, if anyone were to read the rest of the Bible, say the New Testament for example, one would quite easily be able to put this verse into context. A quick scan through the New Testament reveals a not-so-shocking theme about Christian living; suffering is a normal state of affairs for a confessing believer. Even if we somehow take the promise as pertaining to us and not to exilic-Jews, we need to take a broader understanding of the verse to fit with the atrocities that are almost guaranteed for us in this life. “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first" (John 15:18) In other words, we should not be surprised, and in fact, we should probably expect that we will be on the receiving end of a lot of hatred and suffering at the hands of the powers and principalities of this world, just as Christ was. When the prophet writes, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a hope and a future"; if we take that as being directed towards 21st century Christians, then it should be read as being addressed to the Church, just as it was directed to a group in its original context (i.e., the nation of Israel). The Lord will prosper his Church and ensure its future as the victorious and unblemished bride. No harm will come to the Church, in the sense that it will never be crushed or abandoned. To take it to mean that we will never experience persecution, which often comes in the form of physical/emotional/psychological harm, is to neglect Scripture and history.

Finally, nobody who lives in North America can honestly say that they have truly suffered for their faith. Suffering in the Global North may seem significant for those experiencing it, but really, we have it pretty good. We should be the ones doing bringing a comforting message rather than needing to be comforted, but I digress, and really who am I to judge your suffering compared to those in Somalia.

In conclusion, this verse speaks only about the sovereignty of God, and that is something we can rejoice in, but it is not a feel-good verse about how God is going to solve all of your personal issues. It is questionable whether this verse even contains a promise for Christians, and if it does, it is almost certainly for the corporate Church, and not at all for the individual. Individualism is Western philosophy that has very little place in Christian theology and should not be used as a lens for reading scripture. After reading this, Jeremiah 29:11 probably should not be your favorite verse anymore, because, like the rest of the Bible, it only promises hope of salvation in Christ, it is not a guarantor of worldly prosperity.

The Sacrament of Suffering?

Pain and suffering are terrible and unfortunate realities of human existence. People are constantly struggling with the awful reality of suffering and are forever thwarted in their attempts to understand it. Some people try to justify the existence of suffering by various means; God wills it, naturalism, character building, etc. I think this is looking at the problem of suffering all wrong. It is a self-evident truth that suffering sucks, I mean, is not the definition of suffering, "A situation that sucks?" Well, maybe not quite, but a property of suffering is definitely its distinct lack of fun. 

Yet how does one maintain that suffering is an awful thing, and then rationalize Scripture that exhorts believers to rejoice in their suffering. Jesus suffered immensely on Calvary, and what he accomplished through his death and resurrection has brought saving grace to the world. Christ is the archetype of Christian behavior, we strive to be like him in all ways; this is made possible through the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus also lets us know that, just as the world hated him, so too will they hate us because we come from him. Suffering therefore should be an anticipated and familiar phenomena to Christians.

This still does not explain why Christians should necessarily rejoice in suffering. Here is a thought, perhaps suffering should be viewed as a sort of sacrament. When we suffer in the flesh we join together with the suffering of Christ, the apostles, and all of the various Christian martyrs throughout the ages. We participate in the suffering of Christ and thus also in the saving grace that came as a result of Christ's bloody work on the cross. This indeed is cause for rejoicing, we are participating in Christ's suffering and also becoming more Christ like. 

Viewing suffering as a sacrament makes it a lot easier for me to understand why I should rejoice in it. I was always raised with suffering be explained away as being for character building or some similar higher purpose, which always fostered a sort of, "grin and bear it" mentality in me. A sacramental understanding of suffering easily allows me to identify with the disciples who rejoiced for being found worthy to suffer disgrace for the sake of the gospel!

Choirs

A choir is the iconic symbol of humankind. The different sections represent the diversity yet perfect unity that God intended in the creation of humanity. The 4 major sections, Bass, Tenor, Alto and Soprano combine together to paint a perfect audio picture of humanity. Sometimes the sections clash, sometimes they blend beautifully, sometimes they overlap and sometimes they do their own thing, sometimes they sing unison, sometimes they sing their own parts; just as humanity interacts with itself.

(2010/2011 Providence Chamber Singers)

Choral music represents the most complete, perfect way to pray that humanity can possibly accomplish. Starting with the foundation of the Bass section, one hears the deep earthiness that is reminiscent of the gritty lowness of our human condition. Next come the Tenor and Alto parts, playfully intertwining with each other, sometimes carrying the main theme but always adding color and variety to the song. Finally the Soprano's high angelic voices fly above the rest of the song to reach up to the very throne room of God, carrying the rest of the sections up and presenting this outcry of praise and emotion to the composer and conductor of the songprayer. The prayer that flows from the lips of each member of a choir completely captures every aspect of human existence; conflict and unity, force and peace, love and hate, life and death. I can only imagine that when God hears the notes of choir rising into his throne room he leans back and with a smile says, "It is very good".

On Earth as it is in Heaven

“Not my will but yours be done”. I pray this prayer every single day and yet I can’t help but wonder if I am blatantly lying to God every time I do so. A more honest prayer would be, “If my will coincides with your will God, may it be done”.

I want more and more to just do what Gods wants me to, but I have all these desires and dreams for myself that I can’t seem to let go of. Up until now I have operated under the assumption that I can basically do what I want and God will work his will through me, it will all go according to his plan. I’m not so sure of that anymore. 

There are certain things that I have always assumed will be a part of my life, but what if God were to tell me I shouldn't have those things anymore. I gave up alpine ski racing for God, but it took a lot of pressure on a lot of different levels, doing it just for God wasn't enough to make me quit. I'm an exceedingly stubborn person, which God seems to know, and so when he really wants things to change, he applies a lot of pressure to make me change, knowing that I'm not going to make the tough decision until I am forced to it.

I have realized that I am very self-conscious; I strive for acceptance in the eyes of others, I want to be seen as "that guy that's following God's will". The paradox is, I actually want to be that guy on the one hand, but on the other hand I just want to be that guy so that other people will think well of me. The more I think about my motives, the more I realize that every good thing I do is corrupted by a desire for attention, truly, as Calvin said, I am totally depraved. No wonder Christ had to come die for us, even in doing good, my motives are impure and thus spoil the good deed. This Thanksgiving I am truly grateful for Grace and all of its abundant mercies.

And so I will continue to pray, "thy will be done" in hopes that slowly but surely, God will transform my heart's desires to that of his heart's desires.