Why would God bring our soul to a place of captivity?
I sat. stood. slept. Frozen — paralyzed by emotion and unable to move forward. Held in captivity. Before me flowed impossibility the likes of the Red Sea. On either side taunts and mockery of brokenness, dreams interrupted, and deep depression. Behind me surged the enemy’s threats and rapid advance.
I was stuck, held captive by unseen forces, principalities of darkness.
But didn’t God promise me a future and a hope?
Yes … yes, He did.
But I was still frozen, immobilized — held captive.
And then the Lord showed me something wonderful.
How many times have we quoted Jeremiah when life got hard and confusing? Often! It’s a go-to promise among Christian circles. And yes, it is a powerful Truth that the Lord is Sovereign and orchestrates every day of our lives.
Even our days of captivity.
I turned to Jeremiah 29. The Lord asked me to put verse eleven into context. Imagine that.
Chapter twenty-nine of Jeremiah is a letter penned by Jeremiah to the children of Israel who, in 597 B.C., were carried away captive by King Nebuchadnezzar from Jerusalem to Babylon. Verse four reads, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who were carried away captive, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon …”
“… whom I have caused to be carried away [into captivity] … “
What? Have you ever seen that before? Me, either. And there’s more.
The Lord instructed them to flourish in their captivity.
Flourish. The Lord calls us to flourish in our captivity — and to seek peace in that very place, to increase and not be diminished.
Isn’t this the very basis of trust? Determining to be at peace in the place — the season the Lord has placed us in? Regardless? And then to determine to flourish there — to make a difference in the lives of others, to magnify the Lord in all things, to bear fruit even if it must grow and thrive through the chain-links wrapped around our very soul.
Yes, maybe that’s what real trust looks like because just a few verses later comes that wonderful promise:
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me and I will listen to you. 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; … and I will bring you to the place from which I caused you to be carried away captive.” ~ Jeremiah 29:11-14
He knows. He holds our tomorrows. And He loves us — deeply.
Perhaps He allows us to be carried into captivity so we fully learn to trust that He is the One who is sovereign over our lives, He is the One who will bring us through to the other side restored and stronger because of the difficult, paralyzing place.
Maybe. Probably.
Isn’t He wonderful? He is faithful to carry us into our future of hope, fully trusting that He is sovereign over all things.
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Wow, powerful truth, Nan! And one I needed to hear again today! Thank you, sweet sister…
Bless your heart Vonda. I’ve been praying for you. I absolutely love when the Lord reveals something new to me – especially through something so familiar to us as Jeremiah 29:11. I’m so glad you stopped by. Thank you.
So often we read a verse and it becomes so familiar to us we forget to read the verses around it. I was challenged by this very notion a few years ago as I read this very passage to begin looking at the verses surrounding the ones that are so popular to learn what else God has to say to us about them. I have loved these verses following verse eleven for years now. Thank you for shedding light on this to me. I love that God sets the captives free when we learn to seek Him and find Him with all of our hearts. I love even more that through Him I can flourish and find peace even in the paralyzing, difficult places. Because that’s where faith grows and deepens. God is good! God is faithful! God is amazing!
Yes! He IS amazing. And to think that He not only WANTS us to flourish in the hard places, but He INSTRUCTS us to flourish there. Wow! That spoke deeply to my heart.
I have recently done this very thing… reading ALL of Jeremiah 29 and realizing that God was speaking to them in the captivity. This is eye opening especially for our family that recently was “released” from our ministry position. We were allowed to stay in the parsonage for 3 months, which was like a prison.
We are learning about that trust when you indeed have NOTHING to fall back on.
Thank you for this reminder!
Oh Mandy! Been there. Done that, but we only had 2 weeks to get out 🙁 But God provided and made a way. Isn’t He wonderful? I’m so thankful you stopped by.
Teaching us to flourish WHILE in captivity (while we pray for release)…that kind of redemption is what I love about our God.
Heather Bock
http://www.glimpsesofjesus.com
Me too Heather. And to think that with His grace we CAN! If we press in. If we are intentional about it. And if we trust in His sovereignty. This lesson meant so much to me. God is good 🙂
Powerful, Nan. I think putting that verse into context makes it even more powerful. Even when we are facing captivity and struggles, God still has good plans for us–plans to give us a hope and a future. Sometimes we cling to that promise by the skin of our teeth, but it’s still true, just as it was for Israel.
Yes and amen! And to think that at times He actually carries us into a place of captivity as part of His plan – oh my goodness! In the difficult places is where I have learned that He really is sovereign over my life. There is great, great comfort for me in that knowledge.
Hi Nan! Long time no see! And how serendipitous that I just came back to your blog today, when I so needed to hear these words. Because what you wrote is so… me… now… Today I read Psalm 137, which poses the question, How can we sing when we are in Babylon (my paraphrase)?
You’re right… We’re called to flourish even when we are not at the ideal, promised land. When everything seems turned upside down, THEN we’re called to worship, like Habakkuk says, ‘Though the fig tree should not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines’… Hard to believe when you feel deserted.
Your words have encouraged me today. My life for the past couple of years has been a transition from little fruit to none. At least as far as I can see, though you’re post is a beautiful reminder that when we feel that it’s all over, God can take us back to that place of blessing we used to know.
Oh Carina, it’s so good to hear from you. I’m so thankful the words of my heart encouraged you today. God is so very faithful and will truly never leave us nor forsake us, even when we turn our backs on Him. He is always near. I’ve learned that when I can’t praise Him for my circumstances, I can always praise Him for who He is 🙂