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.”  They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD. Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you.  Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.
This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.  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.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.  I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” 
Jeremiah 29:4-14, New International Version

I just read a comment a friend of mine left on a recent blog: "Dry spells to suck."  He's right ... they do.  I'd have to imagine that being exiled from your homeland sucks too.  Losing your home, being displaced from everything and everyone you know and love, even if it was the punishment you deserved ... yep ... that would suck.  The beauty of this story is how it proves once again that God is a loving and just Creator.  Even though He 'sentenced' the Judean's to exile, it was only temporary.  He tells them that when the seventy years are over "I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place."  The 'place' He's talking about is home ... Jerusalem. 

Let's move on to the next verse.  I have to believe the next verse.  It's the verse I mentioned during Part I (by the way, this is Part III), the verse that's been preached about so many times.  Now that I've dug into the pretext of that verse, it means even more to me.  I understand why God said it.  I believe it was meant to be a reassuring and comforting statement, not just a run of the mill declaration.  He was letting Judah know that despite losing everything, things were going to be okay ... it was all going to work out. 

I have to believe in that verse because I have to believe it's as true today as it was back then.  Maybe someone reading this feels like I do.  If I've gone through what I have recently with no pre-determined end game, then I'm going to be pretty upset.  I have to believe that God has plans for us, plans that will prosper us, and give us hope.  Plans that will cause us to look forward to the future.  Honestly, right now I'd settle for just knowing that He has a plan period.  Hope would be nice too, but I guess that would come with knowing He had a plan wouldn't it?

Dear God, please confirm to me that I'm right.  Not for the sake of me being right, but so that I'll know ... and others will know ... that walking through the valleys, and the time spent in the desert, and all the other crap we go through is worth it.  Again, not for us, but for Your glory ... for Your name.  See you tomorrow for Part IV.  Amen.