Many of us are familiar with this verse in Jeremiah 29, but are we aware of the instructions that follow? Here, the Lord addressed the exiles from Israel who had been brought into Babylon, a foreign land. In Jeremiah 29:12-14 NIV, the Lord told the Israelites, “‘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.’”

Just like the Israelites, we Christ followers live in exile in a world that is not our home. When we seek the Lord with our whole hearts, we find freedom from the captivity of sin. Through this freedom and our identity with Christ, we have both hope and a future. The prosperity that is promised can take many forms. It may include finances, but more importantly, prosperity may be found in the form of restored relationships, healing from trauma, and freedom from addiction. We must take heart in the assurance that we are the recipients of the Lord’s magnificent plans for us!