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.” Jeremiah 29:4-7

As you read through the bible, it seems many of the stories revolve around choices: good ones, bad ones, small ones, large ones. Is it ok if I eat that apple? Should I really build that ark? Should I go see why that bush is burning? Can we just go back to Egypt? Do we have to follow all those commands? What is the name of that girl on the roof?

Jeremiah spent his life warning the people of Jerusalem to choose God or a bad fate would follow. In Chapter 29, we see that he wrote a bit of an “I told you so” letter after the city had fallen and the people had been exiled to Babylon. Why wasn’t Jeremiah in exile as well? We find later in Jeremiah that he was pulled from the 700‑mile march into exile and was given a choice: to have a cushy life in Babylon guaranteed by King Nebuchadnezzar, or to stay behind with the faithful remnant in Jerusalem where only a hard life awaited. He made the hard choice.

When Jay and I moved to Chicago for his first role in ministry, we signed up for a three‑year stint. Two years into his work, he got offered a larger role, but that meant staying for a few more years. I just wanted to go back home—back to the South where my family, friends, beach, and football could be found. As we struggled with the decision, we went to the elders of the church for prayer. They prayed about landscaping a yard and knowing where to plant things. I thought, “What an odd thing to pray.” The next day, I read Jeremiah 29, and it said, “Build houses, settle down, plant gardens.” I literally yelled out as I read the text. It felt like God was suggesting that we should let our shallow roots grow deeper. The hard choice became clear. We stayed. In hindsight, we know that it was a time of preparation for our work ahead.

Each of our daily choices moves us toward God or away from God, toward His plans for us or away from His plans for us. Choices matter.

For Reflection

What choices are you facing today? 
Which one is the faithful choice?

Prayer

Dear Lord, Life is hard. I am faced with so many decisions and choices each day. Some easy and some hard. I want to live a life of faith with you. Grant me your wisdom this day on which path to take that leads me to you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.