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. (NIV)

In a time of deep sorrow and confusion God councils his wayward children, sending a letter to the exiles in Babylon. He says, I know where I've placed you, and you aren't going home. Make a new home there. Grow and harvest, pray and prosper. Leave a legacy, have grandchildren, and wait.  

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God's Word came to the exiles with a message they weren't expecting, a word from an infinitely wise God that probably felt pretty disheartening. Unlike the many voices from the false prophets and from the people's own hoping hearts, confident of a quick return, God instead says, "Put down roots,” literally and figuratively.

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Wherever you are right now, in whatever situation you find yourself, I can say with full confidence and with love for you as your brother in Christ that God has something good for you, right here, right now. I have faith in God of this, having seen it in my life, in other's lives, and most meaningfully in God's Word. God's vision is broader, and his mission is better than my own. His way is sure to leave a legacy, for his work cannot help but make an impact. “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’" (Jer. 29:11).

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Wherever God has placed you, seek the good where you are, and be kingdom-focused, not self-focused. Stay alert, always willing to listen for the melody of God’s kingdom in the world, and when you hear it, join it and harmonize. "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Matt. 6:33-34).  

The phrase "grow where you're planted" encapsulates the message I received a couple years ago. This message did not come easily or quickly.  Instead, it came through a long and arduous process full of frustrated prayers, depression and patient friends and family. God was there throughout the challenge, preparing and molding my wayward heart to be receptive. I understand that at first glance this might not be the most inspiring message on the surface. It may sound a little like "give up and make the best of it," but to me it was an invitation to grow in and through the difficulty, relying on God like my life depended on it. I heard the onward and upward call of God saying, “even though it may be the last thing you want to do, DIVE IN.”

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Maybe you’re in the middle of a painful challenge, too, one that seems unending or confusing. Or maybe you feel like you're stuck on the sidelines, yet to receive a purpose or calling. Even here, God knows where he has placed you, he has a plan that will complete his work in you, and your pain will not be wasted. In your waiting or your grief, know that you have the choice in front of you to be open and ready for the move of a patient God. A willing heart, that is enough. He doesn't need our permission or our help, but he loves a willing heart that seeks him. Our God is a Redeemer and beckons us to participate.  

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You may ask in your times of challenge or confusion, as I do in mine, why am I placed here? You may think and pray that God’s will must be anything but this, but it's likely that God’s will is precisely this, and to follow him in his good will is to dive in fully where he has placed you. Don't miss what God has right in front of you because you don't have all you'd like. Pray for the good of whatever you have around you; this you can do regardless of your situation. It may be the hardest pill to swallow, but it may also be just what an infinitely wise God knows is best for you – a God who has a plan to prosper you, not hurt you, a God who has for you a hope and a future.

Living God, plant in me a bold faith that dares to see new possibilities. Grow in me a sure trust in your promises that is not stunted by fear or my short-sighted self. I believe; help my unbelief. Let me reap a strong conviction that there is far more of you than what my eyes can see. Establish in me a deeply rooted hope that Christ, my Champion, has won this day and every day. Amen.