Exiled in Babylon

// September 24, 2017 //

Taylor University is both Babylon and Jerusalem to me.

It is home, and it is exile.

I love Taylor.

I love my friends.

I love learning.

I love the atmosphere, the community, and the open conversations about the Lord and life.

But at this point in my life, I want to be done. (Classic senior, right?) I want to move home; I want to get married. I miss Mac.

I mean, look at how handsome this guy is.

I don’t want to rush my life in theory, but let’s be real… I wish it would move a bit faster in this moment.

In Jeremiah 29, Jeremiah speaks to the Israelites who were exiled to Babylon. He relays the Lord’s words to them, calling them to remain in Babylon and saturate themselves in the culture. In verses 5 and 6, he tells them to build houses and take husbands and wives; they are to build their lives there. In verse 7, he even tells them to seek the welfare of the city and to pray for its leaders. While exiled in Babylon, they are to make it their home until the Lord brings them back.

In verse 11, the Lord declares that He knows the plans He has for them, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you; plans to give you a future and a hope.”

This verse is common and often taken out of context. He is not promising that we will be exactly where we want to be; He is not promising that it will be easy. However, while living in exile, He WILL prosper us, maybe not in the way we want or expect, and He WILL give us a future and a hope.

Now, the New Testament parallel in this passage is that we as believers are exiles here on this earth. The Lord calls us to saturate ourselves in the culture and live for Him on this earth well, waiting for when He will call us home. I am all about this. I ache for my home in Heaven.

But an even further parallel for me, like I’ve said, is Taylor. I am excited to be here and I am saturating myself in the culture, but I really ache to go home and marry Mac. It is my current exile. My personal Babylon.

I recognize, though, that the Lord is calling me to stay here for a time (and it will probably even be over before I know it); He knows the plans He has for me, and they are not to harm me. He has given me a future and a hope, and I will cling to that.

I will take this time at Taylor and seek its welfare. I will build relationships and praise God for them. I will treasure each conversation I have and pray that the Lord would use them for His glory and our good. I will work hard to create good designs, graduate, continue to plan a wedding, and look for a job.

My cute little studio space in the art building.

I will use it to remind myself that this world is not my home, either. I am engaged to Christ, and I will someday be with Him.

This is a necessary and growing time. It is a time of preparation and waiting.

“Wait for the LORD; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the LORD.” Psalm 27:14

But how will I be strong and take courage in the waiting?

“Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the LORD is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.” Isaiah 30:18

I will LONG for Him. I will recognize that while I am waiting for the Lord to change my situation, He is longing for me to simply come to Him.

Let me say that in different words.

I am longing for Him to DO something for me; He is longing FOR ME.

He longs for ME.

Oh, my sweet, sweet Jesus, may I never ever forget this. I long for You, and I want to be with You. Help me to never long for Jerusalem more than I long for being with You in Babylon. Being with You anywhere is better than being without you in physical comfort. You will rise to show me compassion even here. You will bless me. You are WAITING to show me compassion. I do not deserve this.

How about you, friends? Are you longing for Jesus? Are you letting him rise to show you compassion? 

I have struggled in the past with truly believing that “to live is Christ”. I know that “to die is gain”. I believe that Heaven is my Home, and I long to be there.

In John 14, Jesus promises the Holy Spirit to live within believers and dwell within them. He teaches, reminds, and gives peace. He is God IN ME. I think I often fail to grasp how powerful, supernatural, and unbelievable this is.

To die is gain. To go Home is gain. To be taken out of exile is gain.

But to live…. To live is Christ. To wait well and long for Jesus IS Jesus. To live is to need Jesus’ payment on the cross; to live is to experience the power of the Holy Spirit; to live is to allow God to rush to show me compassion and grace; to live is to praise God for giving sweet blessings, like a funny, smart, compassionate, humble man.

Exile is not my home. But someday… someday I will be there.

Until then, I will wait well and long for Jesus.