October 14, 2025

Bloom Where You’re Planted

"Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease."
Jeremiah 29:5-6 (NIV)

God's instructions seemed crazy at first. Build houses in the land of your enemies. Plant gardens where you don't want to live. Start families in the place you hate. It wasn't advice for surviving exile. It was a command for thriving in it.

The command to "settle down" felt like betrayal to many Israelites. False prophets were promising a quick return home. Why invest in Babylon if rescue was coming soon? But God wasn't asking them to wait passively. He was calling them to engage fully. Gardens take three to five years to mature and produce full harvests. God was asking for long-term commitment, not short-term survival.

God told them to build, not rent. Build houses, not tents. Plant gardens, not pick up takeout. Have children and grandchildren. This was generational language. It meant putting down roots in soil they despised. It meant investing in a future they couldn't yet see.

The Apostle Paul later reinforced this same principle. In 1 Corinthians 7:17, he wrote, "Nevertheless, each person should live as a believer in whatever situation the Lord has assigned to them." Your current circumstances aren't random. God assigned them. Your job is to live faithfully right where you are, not where you wish you were.

Blooming where you're planted requires intentional choice. You can spend years waiting for ideal conditions. Or you can start building, planting, and investing today. Weeds don't wait for perfect soil. They grow anywhere. God is calling you to be just as resilient in the place He's put you.

Godseekers, stop living like you're temporarily parked. God isn't asking you to love your Babylon. He's asking you to be faithful in it. What if you worked your job with full excellence instead of minimal effort? What if you invested in your community instead of staying isolated? Stop saying "once I get out of here." Start saying "while I'm here, I'll be fully present." Your faithfulness in the unwanted place might be exactly what someone else needs to see.

Prayer

Dear Lord, forgive me for living halfheartedly in the place You've assigned me. I've been coasting instead of thriving, waiting instead of building. You are worthy of my full devotion wherever I am.

Give me courage to settle down and engage fully right here. Help me build, plant, and invest in this season with faith and excellence. Thank You for placing me exactly where I am for Your purposes.

In Jesus' name, Amen.