Jeremiah 29 is one of the most recognizable chapters in the Old Testament, yet it is often the most misunderstood. Written as a letter from Jerusalem to the Jewish exiles living in Babylon, this chapter contains both tender encouragement and sobering realism. The false prophets insisted exile would be short; Jeremiah insists it will be long. They promised quick comfort; Jeremiah promises slow formation. They offered shortcuts; Jeremiah offers obedience. The tension between false hope and faithful endurance saturates the entire letter.

God tells His people through Jeremiah: “Build houses, plant gardens, marry, have children… seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you” (vv. 5–7). The Hebrew word for “seek” (darash) is a word of pursuit—active engagement, not passive waiting. The exiles wanted to escape Babylon. God wanted them to sow into it. The false prophets wanted them to withdraw. God wanted them to plant. As Reformed commentator E.J. Young says, “God’s people are not shaped by escape but by endurance.” Babylon is not an interruption of God’s plan; it is the location of God’s plan. His will is found not in running from hard places but in cultivating faithfulness within them.

This command to “settle in for seventy years” (v. 10) lands like a weight. It means that God’s timeline is longer, slower, and deeper than anything the people imagined. Their dreams of a quick return evaporate. Their longing for fast restoration is replaced with long obedience. Jeremiah 29 exposes the danger of spiritual shortcuts. As Matthew Henry notes, “Those who promise ease without duty, relief without repentance, and victory without waiting upon the Lord, speak not from the mouth of the Lord.” Every generation has its Hananiahs—voices promising breakthrough without cross-bearing, success without suffering, platform without perseverance. Jeremiah, by contrast, calls the people into a rhythm of faithfulness that feels like exile: slow, unseen, repetitive, and humble.

This passage resonates deeply with real life—because all of us have our own Babylon. For me, Florida became my Babylon in ways I never expected. Not in the sense of evil, but in the sense of permanence when I wasn’t planning permanence. We’ve lived in the same house for nearly a decade. I never foresaw being here this long, never foresaw doing real estate, never foresaw raising a family of six in Southwest Florida. We talked about moving before—different cities, different states—but life anchored us here. The kids’ school, their soccer, our parents living nearby—it all settled us. Real estate was never my dream, yet here I am ten years later, working in a field I didn’t choose but one God clearly placed me in.

I used to think ministry meant preaching from a pulpit; now I see ministry in driving to soccer practice, teaching my kids Scripture, loving my wife faithfully, and being present in the small things. Jeremiah 29 reminds me that family is my first congregation and fatherhood is a spiritual calling. God doesn’t waste where He places us.

Financial hardship has also been one of my “seventy-year” experiences. We’ve never run out of money—God has always provided—but we’ve lived close to the edge so many times. Real estate is feast or famine. You can work tirelessly, pour money into marketing, do everything right, and the deal still falls apart. I’ve lost thousands through no fault of my own. And yet, through this, God keeps reminding me: Your stability is not in the deal closing; it’s in Me. Finances have been my Babylon—a place I wouldn’t have chosen—but a place where God has grown my dependence, humility, and trust.

Jeremiah 29 calls the exiles to “seek the welfare of the city” where God has placed them. That’s how I’ve begun to view my brokerage. Seven agents depend on me. Their families depend on me. My leadership in real estate is not secular; it’s pastoral in a different form. The business world has taught me how to build, lead, organize, and create something from nothing. Perhaps God is giving me tentmaking skills for ministry later. Perhaps real estate is shaping humility, grit, and experience that ministry alone wouldn’t have produced. Only time will tell. But I can already see that God has used real estate to form me in ways I didn’t realize at first.

Then there’s the heart of the chapter—“I know the plans I have for you… plans for peace and not for calamity, to give you a future and a hope” (v. 11). This verse is often ripped from context and turned into a “quick success” promise. But for the original recipients, it meant: “Your future and hope will come after seventy years of exile.” It’s not a promise of smooth sailing but of purposeful suffering. Not immediate prosperity but ultimate restoration. Not earthly ease but divine faithfulness.

Prosperity in this passage refers to God’s redemptive purposes—not material abundance. And after the winding road I’ve lived—losing my pastoral role, wandering through multiple jobs, attempting medical school, failing, starting over, building a brokerage, raising four kids, creating online ministry platforms—I now see that prosperity is not what I used to think it was. Success is not money or status; it’s character, obedience, love for my family, and faithfulness to Christ. My identity is not in real estate or ministry achievements; it is in belonging to Jesus.

When I left pastoral ministry, I didn’t receive a clear new direction. Instead, I entered a long period of wandering—working at Costco, serving as a rehab technician, attempting medical school, doing DoorDash, eventually becoming a broker-owner. Looking back, I realize that God used each “detour” as part of His shaping.

He stripped false identities, humbled me, and placed me where I needed to be, not where I planned to be. Through all of this, the three constants have been my family, my love for Jesus, and the ministry platform I built myself through writing, teaching, and creating online. And I’ve learned this: evangelism can become an idol if it replaces the call to shepherd our own homes. Ministry is not truly successful if your own kids do not walk with Jesus. So Jeremiah 29 has taught me that obedience is more important than impact, and loving my wife and children is more important than building a global ministry.

Jeremiah 29 ends with a promise: God will gather, restore, and redeem—but after the exile, not instead of it. This gives me hope. If God wants ConformToJesus.com to expand, He will open the door. If He wants YouTube growth, He will bless it. If He wants full-time ministry, He will make it happen. My task is to be faithful, patient, humble, and present. Like the exiles, I’m learning to build, plant, serve, lead, write, create, and love the people in front of me. God’s timing is perfect, and His plans for me are good—even when they unfold slowly.

Jeremiah 29 calls us to embrace the place we’re in, trust the God who placed us there, resist false shortcuts, and believe that every long season has a redemptive purpose. The exile is long, but it is not wasted. And the God who sent us into it is the same God who will bring us out.

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION GUIDE — Jeremiah 29

Title: “Faithfulness in Exile: Following God When Life Doesn’t Go as Planned”

BIG IDEA:

Jeremiah 29 teaches God’s people that His purposes often unfold slowly, through long seasons of endurance, rather than quick escape or spiritual shortcuts. God’s call is to be faithful where we are, seek the good of our community, reject false promises, and trust His sovereign plan.

---

1. Warm-Up Question

“Have you ever experienced a season of life that felt like an ‘exile’—a place or situation you didn’t choose but had to learn to grow in?”

---

2. Read Jeremiah 29 (ESV)

Invite group members to read the chapter aloud or in sections.

---

3. Observation — What Stands Out?

• Who receives Jeremiah’s letter?
• What instructions does God give the exiles?
• What are the false prophets promising?
• What does God promise about the future?
• How does the tone of the passage blend warning and hope?

---

4. Interpretation — What Does the Text Mean?

A. The Call to Settle, Build, and Plant

Why does God tell exiles to build houses, plant gardens, and form families?
What does this reveal about long-term obedience?

B. “Seek the Welfare of the City” (v. 7)

What does it mean to pursue the good of a place that isn’t your ideal?
How does this reflect God’s heart for mission?

C. The Danger of False Promises (vv. 8–9)

How do the false prophets mislead the people?
Why is false hope spiritually dangerous?

D. The Meaning of Jeremiah 29:11 in Context

How does “plans to prosper you” relate to the seventy-year exile?
How is biblical hope different from worldly optimism?

E. God’s Sovereign Timeline

Why does God emphasize “when the seventy years are completed” (v. 10)?
What does this teach us about God’s timing vs. our timing?

---

5. Application — How Should This Shape Us?

A. Faithfulness Where God Has Placed Us

How can we “plant gardens” and be faithful in our current season?

B. Engaging Our Community

What does it look like today to “seek the welfare of the city”?

C. Rejecting Quick-Fix Christianity

Where do we see modern “false prophets” promising easy answers?

D. Trusting God’s Long-Term Purposes

How can Jeremiah 29 strengthen our trust during slow or difficult seasons?

E. Living in Hope

How does the promise of restoration help us endure present struggles?

---

6. Prayer Focus

• Pray for trust in God’s timing
• Pray for endurance in long seasons
• Pray for discernment to reject false voices
• Pray for a heart to bless the community
• Pray for hope rooted in God’s character

---

SERMON OUTLINE — Jeremiah 29

Title: “Faithful in the Long Exile: God’s Plans, Not Our Timelines”

---

I. Introduction: The Exile No One Wanted

• Israel is uprooted from home
• Life has changed permanently
• Jeremiah writes to people living with disappointment
• God meets His people in the place they least expect

---

II. God’s Call to Settle, Build, and Plant (vv. 4–6)

• Exile will not be brief
• God calls for long-term obedience
• Build, plant, marry, multiply
• Faithfulness in the ordinary
• God forms His people through perseverance

---

III. Seeking the Welfare of the City (v. 7)

• Radical command: bless Babylon
• God’s people are called to bring peace where they live
• Flourishing is mutual (“for in its welfare you will find your welfare”)
• Christians today are ambassadors in a foreign land

---

IV. Rejecting False Voices Promising Quick Deliverance (vv. 8–9)

• False prophets offer shortcuts
• False hope delays repentance and spiritual maturity
• Discernment is essential
• Truth must govern desire

---

V. God’s True Timeline: Seventy Years (vv. 10–14)

• God’s promises are sure but slow
• Restoration will come, but not immediately
• Jeremiah 29:11 in context:
  • Not instant success
  • Not personal prosperity motivation
  • But a long-term covenant promise
• God’s plans prioritize holiness, not haste

---

VI. The Heart of Biblical Hope (vv. 12–14)

• God invites prayer, seeking, and wholehearted pursuit
• He promises to hear and be found
• Restoration comes after returning to Him
• Hope anchors the soul through exile

---

VII. Conclusion: Living Faithfully in Our Babylon

• Every believer experiences seasons they didn’t choose
• The call is not escape but endurance
• The God who sends into exile is the God who brings out
• Faithfulness today prepares us for God’s future restoration