Connect360: Human Flourishing

• Lesson 4 in the Connect360 unit “Sacred Life: God’s Plan for Us” focuses on Jeremiah 29:10-14.

God’s promise within the context of Jeremiah 29 is a message to his people of plans for a flourishing life, even during uncertainty and disappointment. Flourishing human life is a gracious and loving gift God desires for all his children.

Jeremiah 29:11, set against the backdrop of the Babylonian Exile, offers a profound understanding of human flourishing from a biblical standpoint. It highlights that God’s desire for our welfare is not thwarted by adverse circumstances. Instead, it is in these very situations that the promise of a hopeful future becomes most significant. This verse serves as a timeless reminder that in every context, whether in prosperity or adversity, flourishing is inherently tied to the enduring and faithful nature of God’s plans for humanity.

The notion of flourishing here is holistic. It is not limited to physical prosperity but includes spiritual, emotional and communal well-being. The promise of “a future and a hope” contradicts the immediate reality of exile and suffering, demonstrating that God’s plans transcend current adversities.

Jeremiah 29:11 is fundamentally a promise of restoration and return. God’s intervention is depicted as a guiding force, steering his people toward a state of well-being, or shalom, which implies peace, completeness and prosperity. God’s word is not a promise of quick deliverance from exile for his people, but verse 11 demonstrates that God’s people can live flourishing because of the hope and promise of his restoration. For God’s children, all may not be right, but we live in the hope that one day all will be right. God is faithful to restore.

God’s plan for the flourishing of His people reminds us that his plans are not thwarted by human despair or circumstances. Despite the Israelites’ exile and suffering, God had a purpose and direction for them. Because of Jeremiah 29:11, God’s children can have confidence that human flourishing is part of God’s sovereign plan, transcending immediate hardships.

Jeremiah 29:11 reminds God’s children to have patience and faith in his divine timing. The fulfillment of God’s promise was not immediate; it required the Israelites to endure and maintain faith for several generations. God certainly does have plans for good and prosperity, hope and future, but his children must have the confidence to trust his timing and direction along the way.

God’s promise of plans, hope, and fulfillment were not given specifically to any individual or person. The English translation of “you” in 29:11 is actually plural meaning He is promising the entirety of the community of exiles this good plan of hope and a future. A “Southern” translation of the text would say something like: “For I know the plans I have for y’all,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper y’all and not to harm y’all, plans to give y’all hope and a future.” It may not have the same literary appeal, but it would be textually accurate.

This reminds us that human flourishing is intended to be something communally experienced and communally fulfilled. Human flourishing does not occur in a vacuum of individualism.

By Katie Frugé, director for the Center for Cultural Engagement and the Christian Life Commission of Texas Baptists.

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