Plant Gardens

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all exiles whom I have sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: Build houses and live in them, plant gardens, and eat what they produce. — Jeremiah 29: 4-5.

The children of Israel had been exiled and their whole world and expectations had been turned upside down. What they wanted to hear was God would rescue them and all would be right again. That’s not what they were told. Instead they were advised in Jeremiah to make the best of the situation.

Jeremiah’s advice is still good today. When the economy tanks, unemployment is rising, and all we read is bad news it is easy to want and pray for someone to make things right. But Jeremiah reminds us to make the best of a bad situation when it occurs. We are to build houses, plant gardens, and eat what we produce. The good Lord always provides, but we much do our part.

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About the author

Webb Hubbell is the former Associate Attorney General of The United States. His novels, When Men Betray, Ginger Snaps, A Game of Inches, The Eighteenth Green, and The East End are published by Beaufort Books and are available online or at your local bookstore. When Men Betray won one of the IndieFab awards for best novel in 2014. Ginger Snaps and The Eighteenth Green won the IPPY Awards Gold Medal for best suspense/thriller. His latest, “Light of Day” will be on the bookstands soon.