In February 2020, many of us had plans for the coming months: vacations, surgeries, March Madness, the Easter Vigil, weddings, baptisms, school, work, team sports, etc.  

And then plans changed. Children came home from school, classes moved online, health-care was delayed, vacations cancelled, jobs interrupted and lost, and the public celebration of sacraments suspended. Even day-to-day activities ground to a halt while a plague moved through the land.

At times like this, we may wonder, “Where is God in all of this?”  Or, “How can I find God when my normal ways of worship are gone?”  Perhaps it was, “I had plans for self-improvement, now what do I do?”  Or even, “Help! I can’t handle this! Why Me?”

It can be comforting to know this is an ancient experience recounted repeatedly in the Bible. One example happens in 586 B.C. when the Babylonian Empire conquered Judah and sent the Jewish people into exile in Babylon.

God’s people lost everything God had given them: the Promised Land, the Temple, and their King. They were in a foreign land without the structures that had supported their daily lives, and they could not worship as God had instructed them.

But God did not forget them in their exile. Through the prophet Jeremiah, He said, “I know the plans I have for you . . . plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jer 29.11).

The people’s plans were gone, but God’s plans were still in place.  

God did not give them details of what was coming next, but He did provide advice on how to live in their time of hardship: plant gardens, build houses, get married, and have kids. In other words, thrive!

In the Bible, thriving is a part of living. Merely breathing is not the full expression of “life.” Living is embracing the lives God has given us, no matter the external circumstances. God’s advice through Jeremiah is to embrace life in exile, for that is His plan. God also told the ancient Jews to pray for the nation in which they were living.  While Babylon might not be their permanent home, its circumstances would impact them for the time being. 

This period of tragedy became a great time of flourishing for God’s people: they wrote down their oral traditions into the books of the Bible we have today; they developed synagogues and the role of the rabbi; and they started businesses and achieved success in material ways that later helped the following generations return to Judah when the time was right. 

God’s words to the exiles can guide us when we are frustrated by our situations. Even today, as we re-open businesses and social activities across the United States and the world, we know that things are not the same. There is profound loss and uncertainty.

We cannot see God’s big picture, but we can experience hope when we choose to thrive by actively living what is available to us, praying for the good of our circumstances, and trusting in God’s plan for our future. This can be a hard choice, and sometimes doing the good, praying, and living in joy is a sacrifice. But like all sacrifice, God will bless it to bring about the future He has planned for us.

Where is God asking you to thrive in life today?