I love the verse Jeremiah 29:11, For I know the plans I have for you"-this is the Lord's deceleration -"plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope, but sometimes I feel that the verse loses some of its power and meaning when people just quote it by itself and fail to reveal the surrounding circumstances of the letter that this verse is contained in. The reason for this letter to be sent at all was the fact that many of Israelites that where in Babylon where listening to the good news preached by false prophets. The amazing message that I feel that is missed in this letter is that the nation of Israel was supposed to live in Babylon in captivity for 70 years. Not the amazing quick fix that many of are waiting for. Also the fact that God is also telling them to not look for the quick fix but to settle and continue to live to the fullest even in their bad situation. The Lord tells them to remain fruitful and to continue to multiply and to in a way make Babylon their home. Also the way in which we are supposed to seek the Lord for his blessing is lost when the verse is told by itself.

Right now in my life I feel that Argentina is my Babylon I will be here for 14 months, I will have to fight the idea that I am different here and the sin in my life is only existing because I am not back in the States. I need to continue to live in the time and place that God has placed me in and not look back to my homeland as the answer to what I need to do. I feel that many times in our lives no matter what we are imprisoned by whether it is debt, lying, pride or home sicknesses we need to still look to God and make the best of our situation and trust in him that in his time we will be blessed by him.

The way to receive God's blessing in our lives is clearly stated in the verses following Jeremiah 29:11, You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for me with all your heart. I will be found by you... Jeremiah 29:12-14a. These verses once again call us to do the same thing we have been told to do yet fail to achieve on a regular basis. We are to seek the Lord in prayer and to search with him with all our heart. I feel that many times we seek the Lord and fail to praise him for what he does in our life. Today is my monthly day with the Lord where all we do is seek the Lord for the day and do what ever we fill necessary to get closer to him. I am so thankful for this day and encourage you if possible to set aside time in your on life to seek God first so that you may find him and be more blessed in him. Please continue to keep me in your prayers that when I feel weak during the coming months I will seek the Lord first.

Ben Anderson