Finding the Gift

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the
Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. Jeremiah 29:7

This week, I’ve been reading devotions titled “The Role of the Church in Cultural Clashes.” It ties in with studying Luke the past couple of weeks and with the focus of The Summit.

How can we be disciples who grow disciples in our community? Jeremiah 29:7 was part of the scripture reading on a day that focused on the “church” being the body of people, not the building where we congregate.
Jeremiah addressed the nation of Israel, which had been conquered and physically moved to an unfamiliar location by its captors. As a US citizen, I have never experienced that type of exile. I’ve never been forced by political powers to live in a hostile and unfamiliar place.

How can I apply this scripture to my life in 2022??
I moved several times while growing up and had little input on the decision to move. I had to learn new school routines, make friends, learn how to navigate a new neighborhood, and adjust to the availability of different types of fresh fruit and vegetables. These are some of the challenges the Israelites experienced in exile. Though I have not experienced political exile, I have walked through seasons where I felt entirely unanchored by everything around me. I have been in a room full of other people and experienced profound loneliness.

There is so much truth to the phrase “misery loves company.” As humans, we have the desire to want people around us to feel like we do. When we are excited and happy, we want to share that feeling. When we are down in the dumps, we want others to sit with us.
As I meditated on this scripture, I began to think of trials in life as being exiled. What would happen if I chose to pray for trials to bring me blessings? What if I looked at loneliness or despair as the wrapping paper for a fantastic gift from God that I didn’t even know I wanted or needed?

The destruction of my marriage is one of the most painful seasons in my life. I have struggled with multiple situations and feelings that seemed incomprehensible. There were numerous times I just wanted to feel better. God put people in my life who reminded me to focus on the gift in that pain. They encouraged me to focus on where God had carried me through difficult times and to claim that same provision in my current situation. In other words, to pray for the city that I had been carried to, for prosperity in that situation would bring prosperity to me.
I look back on difficult times and see where Jesus blessed me through people I thought were adversaries. I was open to finding a gift in an unlikely wrapper. By changing my prayer from “God, carry me through this” to “God, help me see the gift in this situation,” my attitude changed. I felt confident in His provision, especially when I had no idea how it would appear.

Whatever you are walking through, look for the gift. It’s there. Please don’t leave until you find it.