Daily devotional · May 29
Bloom Where You Are Planted
“This is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon: “Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Multiply there; do not decrease. Seek the prosperity of the city to which I have sent you as exiles. Pray to the LORD on its behalf, for if it prospers, you too will prosper.””
Jeremiah wrote to exiles in Babylon, people who longed to go home and were tempted to wait in limbo. God's message was surprising: build houses, plant gardens, marry, raise children, and seek the welfare of the city where you live, because its peace will be your peace. In other words, live fully where you are, even if it is not where you wanted to be. Many of us are tempted to think that real life starts after the transition, the job change, the move, or the hardship ends. God asks us to invest now, in people, work and neighborhood. Doing so is an act of faith, not of settling. Today, do one thing for the good of your city, workplace or street: greet a neighbor, pick up litter, pray for local leaders, or support a local business. Plant something.
Prayer
Lord, teach me to live fully where you have placed me. Bless my neighborhood through me.