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When the Plan Is Exile

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By Hannah Comerford

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:11)

This verse was every teenager’s life verse when I was in youth group. I’ve seen it on plaques and in greeting cards. It’s used to bring comfort and assurance in the midst of difficult circumstances.

But what if those plans God has for us are painful?

I don’t want to deny that God can bring comfort through it. He does work all things together for good (Romans 8:28). So the sentiment that God has plans for us is true. But Jeremiah 29:11 is much more complex and not as easy as it might seem.

I tend toward the pessimistic end of the attitude spectrum. When things go wrong, it’s easy for me to dwell on the negative and get frustrated by pat answers and efforts to cheer me up. And, well, I won’t pretend like the last couple of years have been easy at Elim. We’ve seen three pastors leave for various reasons in a short amount of time. I don’t doubt that God is in control of these situations and is working good in us, but it’s hard. We might have a future and a hope, but right now we’re living in a hard place. It’s painful.

And I think that’s okay.

If you look at Jeremiah 29:11 in context, God isn’t actually offering a hope for immediate good things. God was speaking through Jeremiah to the exiled people of Israel. They’d been forcefully taken to Babylon. They’d lost everything. Other prophets were telling them good news, that their exile would be short and they’d be going home soon. They wanted to cling to those promises. Yet God wasn’t speaking through those prophets. He wasn’t telling them to prepare for their happy return.

Instead, God told the people through Jeremiah that they should build houses, marry, plant gardens—settle in for the long haul. God was going to keep them in Babylon for 70 years, and then they would see their release from captivity, the hope and the future they were promised in verse 11.

God was calling His people to trust Him and find peace where they were placed, even though it was heartbreaking.

I don’t know what the future holds for Elim. Of course, we aren’t exiles in Babylon, but it’s okay to acknowledge that this isn’t a comfortable place to be in. Some of us miss how things used to be, the comfort we had in the home that Elim was to us. And there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s okay to be homesick.

But maybe we can learn to find comfort now, when we don’t see the future. Maybe we can trust that God will still be with us even here, in the uncomfortable places, when we don’t have our bright future yet. Maybe we won’t see the future and hope for a long while, but we can learn to grow and live and find contentment in the exile.

We don’t know when we’ll welcome our good future. But we do have a God who is with us now, in the land that doesn’t feel like home.

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What’s in Your Backpack?

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By Bill Naron         

A couple of months ago, in a desire to allow our home to be more efficient, my wife and I began the process of purging. We chose to start with the children’s rooms. The reason for starting there was simple: they had too many toys! Our children had this interesting habit of taking a backpack and stuffing it full of toys. Then they would just walk around with it while playing whatever game they were playing. We were both so confused by this behavior and tried to reason out why they did this. The conclusion that we finally came to was that the children had too many toys.

            Proverbs 27:20 says, “Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.” By our own human nature, we desire to gain more and to have more. Like the proverb says, our eyes are never satisfied.

            As I have pondered the words of this Scripture and as I reflect on the words of Pastor Steve, I ask myself, Are my eyes satisfied? Am I content with the things that the Lord has given to me? Am I content with where God has placed me?

Our contentment is not just being satisfied with the physical items we possess. Our contentment is also a matter of being satisfied with where God has placed us. No matter who you are, God has given you defined life roles. Whether we are fathers or mothers, or teachers, or husbands, or wives, or students, it is important for us to identify the roles that God has given us and understand them.

The word content is defined as “being in a state of peaceful happiness.” Are you in a state of peaceful happiness? Is your backpack light or heavy? The Apostle Paul says in Timothy, “But Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” Paul lets us in on the secret: the only thing that matters is seeking after the Father. All the possessions we can gain mean nothing, because we cannot take them with us.

It is often stated that we should not be like the world and chase after material objects. In fact, in Romans, Paul tells us not to be conformed to the world but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We pray that God would guard our minds and our hearts. But have we ever thought of guarding our time and efforts?

How we prioritize our lives and how we fill our time give such a picture of what matters the most to us. This is why it is so vital to understand what the roles that God has given us are. Otherwise, we become like children whose backpacks are full of stuff. Filling our backpacks with commitment after commitment, we walk around or run around so busy, yet we do not seem to see the results that we thought we would. The stuff in our backpacks is taking up space and is hindering us from doing the things God has called us to do.

            I would challenge you to sit down and list out the roles that God has placed you in. Guard your time, and guard your efforts. Use your calendar and time to help enable your family and yourself to flourish. May your joy be full and may you be at peace with the time and season that God has you in.

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Finders of Good

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Jeff Foerster

When I was a young lad, “finding good” meant getting stuff I wanted. Stuff requires money, and I had a plan—buried treasure. My method for uncovering hidden wealth? A metal detector, of course. I had seen models advertised in glossy brochures, and I just knew this was my ticket to a boatload of goodies. All I needed to get started was $129.95!

What is the world’s method for finding good?

Get some “me time”—take a vacation, entertain yourself.

Consume something—go shopping for a new outfit, new kitchen, new car, new you.

Do what is “nice”—perform correctly in what you say.

This is Americana, 21st-century style: surface level and two inches deep. No chance of drowning here, folks.

Well, enough about that. Let’s move quickly to where we need to be as followers of Christ. We are sojourners—strangers and pilgrims passing through this world. How are we to find good? Simply put, God grounded us on the earth and raised up His Son that we would lift up our eyes, fixing them on Jesus as we walk this life.

I urge you, know Him deeply, spend time with Him, and think on His promises. I’m in the midst of reading the gospels and am reminded of Mary, mother of Jesus, who heard great prophecy spoken of her Son that He is Savior and a Light of Revelation to the Gentiles. Mary treasured these things up in her heart; she pondered them—bringing them to mind frequently, searching out their meaning, and looking with hope to their fulfillment.

How precious a thing. How glorious a tribute. How wonderful to be known by a practice of finding good. You’ve heard it said in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”

Remember also, then, the foundation given in Philippians 4 that enables this: “stand firm in the Lord, my beloved” and “Rejoice in the Lord always.”

If you want to be a “good finder,” you’ve got to be a Jesus focuser. Straining to put on a happy face or pursuing a fake-it-until-you-make-it policy will only end in exhaustion or self-delusion. The Apostle Paul found a different way:

“I have learned to be content in any and every circumstance.”

It is through this attitude of Paul’s, founded in focus on the person of Jesus Christ, that we turn to one of the most misused verses in all of Scripture: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” It’s not a call to achievement or abundance, but a call to contentment. Not to pursuing more, but through saying, “Enough.”

But what about when life just stinks?

There is time for recollection of difficulty and trauma experienced. There is value in reflection on one’s being and situation. When those things are brought to light, bring them to the Light. Give Jesus the final say on every hurt, every hindrance, every idea, every stronghold that stands in opposition to God!

In line with childish desires, we can spend our days sifting through sands for nickels, or we can send our eyes skyward, to the Lord of glory and to our future together. Find good. Not in “good” circumstances that may come, but in the good Savior, that is now and forever will be!

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Thinking through Contentment

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By Jeff Foerster

The Sunday before last Pastor Martin spoke to us from Philippians 4 concerning contentment.  I don’t believe it to be a controversial subject, as I have never heard anyone utter, “Contentment, that’s not for me!” Still, those who obviously possess it are harder than not to find. I myself would not proclaim to be a bastion of contentment. I do however have a few thoughts that may help us seek it out.

Contentment requires the following:

Humility — That is, submission to God’s purpose(s). We must be in agreement with the mind of God as He has revealed it to us in His Holy Scriptures. The “greatest commandments” sum this up for us by telling us to love God wholeheartedly and to love our neighbor like ourselves (Mt. 22:36-40; Mk. 12:28-31; Lk. 10:26-28).

Focused striving — This takes place not simply in any desired direction we choose, but requires our submission to God’s desires first (see above, “Humility”). By keeping God first, our efforts and work can take many pleasant and beneficial directions. If He is truly first, when our course is changed we will not be easily rattled as our foundation remains constant in Christ.

Evaluation of circumstances — If you find yourself discontent with your circumstances, I invite you to ask the question, “Is this a direct result of disobedience to God?” If your answer is “Yes,” don’t be content. Through repentance, seek forgiveness and change. If you answered “No,” see “Humility” above.

Patience — It takes time. Don’t beat yourself up if you have been seeking contentment all afternoon, but it seems nowhere in sight. Paul told us that he learned to be content (Phil. 4:11-13). This great man of the Lord was not born with it, nor did he find it an instant gifting, but rather he went through a process to claim ownership of it.

Persistence — Fight the good fight and run the race. Seek after contentment in this life.  God does not tease us with things unattainable. I am convinced He wants all those who call Him Lord to taste of this.

Adoration — God’s magnificent power. God’s merciful sacrifice. God’s unbounded love. Consider these and much more. Ponder His great acts in Scripture and in your life and the lives of others. Spending time on and with God moves our mind, our focus, and our hearts towards contentment. No other circumstance or person can accomplish this. We were created by the Father to be perfected in the Son. Only by lingering here will true rest and contentment be found.

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