I was in Germany over the weekend, making my third visit to train Ukrainian preachers who are living there.
It was a poignant weekend, coming as it did, fast on the heels of the President Zelensky’s visit to the Oval Office and the third anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
On my final evening in Germany, I was sitting around a table enjoying some supper when our hosts indicated that they had a few questions for me. Many of the questions related to how to wisely navigate this season in their lives.
The dilemma is knowing how to discern how much church structure to put into place for what might be a temporary period. We talked about the passage in Jeremiah 29, in which the prophet sends a letter to the Jewish exiles in Babylon to warn them not to listen to the false prophets, who were suggesting that their time in Babylon would soon be over.
Jeremiah tells them that they will be in Babylon for seventy years and need to plan for a longer stay than they had anticipated.
When we are in a time of transition we tend to put major life decisions on hold. It is difficult to settle on a career, buying a house, getting married and having children when everything else in our lives is up in the air.
Jeremiah’s words offer a realistic perspective and timetable that allows the people to make plans about their lives.
“This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.’ (Jeremiah 29:4–7)
These words are wise and practical. If a preacher is preaching on these verses they need to have a good sense of timing. Giving the right message at the wrong time can be as confusing as not giving it at all.
They also offer hope.
Firstly, these words remind us that even our negative experiences are part of God’s overall plan for us and not a random accident.
Secondly, they remind us that even in what might seem a less-than-ideal situation God can still use us in his mission to bring blessing to the society where we are exiled.
Thirdly, even when a people are in exile, they can experience God at work among them bringing a sense of stability and blessing.
Lastly, Jeremiah’s word about the exile lasting 70 years was a reminder that “all things must pass.”
Preachers need to learn how to reassure people that the season they are in is not necessarily the last chapter in their lives.
Photo by Tina Hartung on Unsplash
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