The scripture on the calendar where we are staying reads, ‘Surely, I know the plans I have for you’ says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and give you hope’. The verse is not only on the calendar but on a wall hanging too. Coincidence? Hardly! As we make the transition from living in Mongolia to Britain, it’s a scripture people have shared with us. Of course it is true, but the context in which it is set is challenging.

              Israel was in exile in Babylon. Uprooted from home and temple, they were in a foreign land. A land of strange faces, incomprehensible language, perplexing customs and an unfamiliar landscape. A place, in short, where they would rather not be.

Dislocated and unsettled by their fierce exit, the Jews felt lost. They naturally longed for the place they called home. I can relate to their feelings. It is far easier to remain in a setting where we are comfortable, where we fit in and others understand us; staying safe in the place where we feel all the facets of our lives combine to create that sense of ‘this is my home’.

But sometimes God chooses to uproot us, or withdraw something or someone from our lives that holds us secure. Whether it’s our home, job, family or friends it doesn’t really matter, the pain of separation still leaves us smarting as we ask, ‘What is the way forward and where do I fit in now?’

              In Jeremiah chapter 29, the prophet sends a letter to the Jewish exiles, instructing them to settle in this foreign, unfamiliar land of Babylon. ‘Build houses and live,’ he says, ‘Plant gardens and eat the fruit of your labours. Take wives, have children and, seeking the welfare of the place you live, pray for it.’

Despite the loss and grief of their exile, God instructs His children to live beyond their current circumstances and find comfort and strength in Him. But change is hard and uncomfortable. In telling the Jews to build homes and follow the seasons of that place, God is asking His children to live well as members of a new country. This requires time and patience; time to build new friendships and adjust to a new environment without constantly longing for what was.

Not only that, but God loving process of transforming us involves many steps of faith and growth in our hearts. When loss overwhelms me and I can articulate my groans in some sort of prayer, ‘God, I’m trying to seek you with all my heart’, then I catch a fleeting glimpse of something more. Pushed to edge of what I think I can endure, I sense His presence, lifting me and giving me hope, faith and His Spirit to walk in His way. This aching dislocation unlocks reality to me; He does know the way. He does have a plan.

© copyright Gillian Newham 2023