What to do when life doesn’t go to plan?

I know I’ve been there. It’s easy to wonder why we’re alive. The question often creeps up when things aren’t going to plan, or when we’re going through troubled times in life. But we’re not left to wonder. The word of God is filled with answers to this question: what is my purpose for God right here, right now?

One case that has been in my mind recently is found in the book of Jeremiah.

Chapter 29 consists of a letter written by the prophet to the surviving elders, priests, prophets and all the people who have been taken into exile by Nebuchadnezzar, out of Jerusalem into Babylon. I don’t know if we’ll ever find ourselves in a situation worse than being exiled in a foreign country, but we can relate to their experience in that we too can find ourselves in unwanted situations – and we may be left lost, unable to see God’s purpose in it all. 

So, what does Jeremiah say we should do in these situations? Well, he starts off by telling the people in verse five to be active right where they are and to not be sorrowful and stagnant. He uses words like ‘build’ and ‘plant’, words we associate with future growth and fruitfulness. 

‘Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.’ (Jeremiah 29:5)

We can also take this call to be active in the things of God. No matter where we are, let’s keep building up other believers through encouragement and love, and let’s keep planting the seed of the gospel – perhaps in a conversation we have or a leaflet we give. Even in our own suffering, we can seek the blessing of other souls.  

The next thing mentioned by the prophet is this:. 

‘But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of Hosts’ (Jeremiah 29:7-8)

The people must have thought this was a very strange command by Jeremiah, to pray for those who had made them exiles but this is the same for us today. No matter where we find ourselves, let’s be found seeking the welfare of those around us and on our knees, praying. The people around us may be those who have wronged us, but we should still pray for them. Jeremiah gives us the reason why: ‘for in its welfare you will find your welfare. For thus says the Lord of hosts’.

Jeremiah then gives them a hope, an assurance that better things are to come:

'For thus says the LORD: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.' (Jeremiah 29:10-11)

So, what hope do we have in our own unwanted or difficult situations? Well, we don’t just have the hope that someday we will be leaving this earthly exile; we have the hope that we are going to be with the Lord forever. There is no greater hope a man can have. While times may be hard and while situations may be unwanted, we can rest on this hope in Christ Jesus our Lord.