Carried Away

“And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to the LORD for it; for in its peace you will have peace…And you will seek me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you, says the LORD, and I will bring you back from your captivity.” Jeremiah 29:7, 13-14

If you had asked me if I thought we would still be dealing with Covid-19 months later I would have bet on the answer being no. And, if you had gone on to tell me riots, destruction and unbelievable crime in most cities would become a companion for the virus I wouldn’t have believed it. So, how on earth did we get to this point where we feel so many circumstances are holding us captive? Our thoughts of today must have been the same thoughts of God’s people of Jeremiah’s time when they were attacked and dragged off to Babylon. I noticed something this morning when I read Jeremiah’s written letter to the captives as their prophet. He encouraged them to settle into their captivity…to build houses in which to live…to tend to gardens from which to eat…to multiply…to SEEK THE PEACE WHERE THEY CURRENTLY WERE! As I read this account, I noticed the phrase, ‘where I have caused you to be carried.’ 

That phrase is a stark reminder that God will always seek what is best for us. If He sees a nation that has turned it's back on Him…grown complacent of Him…forgotten to include Him… or worse even have removed Him, circumstances will be put in place by a Father who longs for His children and their return to fellowship. He will determine the length of time that it takes for hearts to turn back, for minds to spiritually focus, and for reconciliation of the Family of God. But in His great mercy, He gives us the gift of peace in the waiting but we must ask for it. Not only does He encourage us to seek His peace and pray for His peace, but He guarantees the peace in Christ for which we pray will be given to us. As we search for God in freedom or captivity with the wholeness of our hearts, we are promised that we will find Him and eventually be brought out of the captivity that yielded the fruit of a reconnected heart and a reconciled spirit with our Father.

So, as we go about our captive days may we all seek the peace of Christ in the challenging 'city where God has planted us for now,' and may we walk in the freedom of the peace of Christ no matter what our circumstances are.

“Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” 2 Co 3:17