Seventh Day Baptist
Christian Education Council
PO BOX 1678
Janesville, WI 53547
—Jeremiah 38:14-23
by: Michaella Osborn.
God had said through Jeremiah, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV). But just a few chapters later, we arrive at this story that seems so far from prosperity and hope. Jeremiah had to deliver both messages—that God’s intention was to preserve the Israelites already in captivity, and also that He had given Jerusalem over to Babylon. It took courage for Jeremiah to believe in the faithfulness and character of God—especially when the circumstances he was living through did not always point to that. What are some ways that we can trust in the faithfulness of God, even when we are suffering?