“For I know the plans I have for you” — this is the LORD’s declaration —

“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

Jeremiah 29:11

This verse has often been used in graduation cards to encourage teenagers to chase their dreams, assuring them that God will make sure everything works out. It has been used in home decor to support the idea that God is guiding us toward green pastures. Essentially, this verse has been used to say, “The future only holds good things for you. You will never experience difficulty or trials.” The problem with that use of this verse is that it simply doesn’t mean what these cards and household signs make it out to mean.

Early in my time at seminary, I heard a joke about a parrot who earned a PhD in systematic theology because he was able to repeat the words, “Context, context, context.” While there is obviously much more that goes into earning an advanced degree, the point remains: context matters. Sound interpretation of any passage requires that we understand the author’s intent.

The common use of the passage above highlights the importance of reading Scripture in its proper context. The very people God was promising a future and a hope had also been told that they would spend seventy years living in exile in a foreign nation. To make matters worse, that nation was Babylon, a pagan and idolatrous empire that had conquered Judah and carried its people into captivity. That made Babylon a sort of “evil empire” of its day. This was certainly not the future they would have chosen for themselves.

The promised future would come, but only after seventy years of exile. Many of those who first heard these words would never live to see the promise of restoration. They would spend their remaining years living in a foreign land. In fact, they were commanded to work for the good of that land. Jeremiah essentially says, “Build your lives here and now because it is going to be a while.” Just a few verses earlier, he tells them to build houses, plant gardens, get married, give their children in marriage, have children, and seek the welfare of the city where God had sent them (Jeremiah 29:4-7). The immediate future for these exiles was not what they wanted or what they would have chosen, but God was accomplishing His purpose through their circumstances.

Today, we certainly don’t live in ancient Babylon, but we do live in an imperfect nation. Whether you look at our country and see the good that has been accomplished or the sins of our past, we can all agree that we have not done everything perfectly. And as believers, we must recognize that this is not our ultimate home. We are strangers and exiles in this world (1 Peter 1:1; 2:11), and we are looking forward to an enduring city that is to come (Hebrews 13:14).

That does not mean we have no hope.

In fact, through Jesus Christ, we have the greatest hope and the promise of an eternal future. But it also means that while we are here, we don’t simply throw up our hands and pretend that what happens in this world doesn’t matter. We labor for the good of the place where God has put us.

This should impact the way we work, the way we live, and the way we raise our families. But today, I hope it also encourages you to work for the good of this place with your vote.

The items on the ballot are not all morally neutral. These convictions have practical implications for the issues we face today, including the protection of unborn life and the protection of children from harmful medical procedures. There are right and wrong choices to be made, and as Christians, we should evaluate those choices based on the principles of God’s Word. Our vote is one way we can influence the direction of our communities and our nation for good.

So, I encourage you to do what you are able. Use your vote to seek the good of the land where God has placed you. Do what you can to protect life, pursue righteousness, and seek justice. We may be citizens of a better country, but until we arrive there, let us faithfully seek the good of the place where God has placed us.