To live in exile is to be expelled or banned from your native country. In a recent sermon series, my pastor compared being a Christian in America today to living in exile. One of the sermons was based on Jeremiah 29, A Letter to the Exiles.
In the letter, Jeremiah passed on the word of God to the Isrealites. God told them to go about their normal day-to-day lives. “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters…”
He told them to seek peace and prosperity for the city of Babylon. Pray for it.
The letter included a warning to watch out for deception. “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.
God allowed the Jews to be exiled. The exile was part of his plan. God promised that when seventy years of exile were completed, he would come and fulfill his promise to bring them back.
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 hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29 :11
Seventy years! What would it have been like to know that you would spend a lifetime in captivity?
When you are going through dark times, the years drag on. It’s hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s hard to get through even one year of political turmoil and division.
The lesson for me in Jeremiah’s letter is to buckle up for the ride. I have no control over what happens in the next four years. I don’t know what the future holds. I could very well spend the rest of my life living in a country that is divided politically.
I do have control over how I live my life. When living in exile, I can go about my life as normally as possible. Spend time with friends and family. Continue to seek God with all my heart. Savor the beauty all around me. Celebrate the goodness.
That doesn’t mean that I will acquiesce. I will never bow down to the MAGA god. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. I will stand firm in my faith and stay true to his messages of love, grace, and forgiveness. I will seek peace, and I will pray for my country.
Innermost Being 