Jeremiah 29:4-7
““Thus says Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon: ‘Build houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them. Take wives, and father sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and don’t be diminished. Seek the shalom of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its shalom you will have shalom.’”
Jeremiah was a prophet in Judah during a turbulent time, culminating in the Babylonian exile. This letter, written around 597 BCE, was sent directly to the first wave of Judahite exiles who had been forcibly taken from Jerusalem to Babylon, a foreign land. They were likely anxious about their future, hoping for a swift return home, and wondering how to live in captivity.
How might we understand God's presence and purpose in situations that feel like a spiritual or personal 'exile' today?