I am a big Disney fan. I love watching animated Disney films, listening to Disney movie soundtracks, and going to Walt Disney Word. One of the best parts of Disney movies are the sidekicks. Pascal from Tangled, Olaf from Frozen, and Mushu from Mulan are just a few of my favorites. But we, as believers, run into a problem when we begin to treat God like a Disney sidekick.
What does it mean to treat God like a Disney sidekick? We can think of Him as our very own Fairy Godmother, who instead of giving us a big blue gown and a pumpkin carriage, will give us perfect health, a dream job, or a new relationship. We can think that if we pray hard, do good Christian things, and rub the lamp in just the right way, God will be like our genie, whose wish is our command. We can think that if we wish upon a star and have enough faith all our dreams will come true, just like Jiminy Cricket sang.
We treat God like a Disney sidekick when we begin to see Him as someone whose sole purpose is to give us good things. And while God does certainly give us good things, He does not promise or guarantee that we should or will receive certain things in our lives. This belief is rooted in a misinterpretation of scriptures like Jeremiah 29:11.
Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most popular Bible verses among Christians, and I once even considered it my “life verse” when I was younger. But it is also one of the most misunderstood and misused verses. Many have memorized it in the New International Version-
“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.” Jeremiah 29:11, NIV
On the surface, it may seem like God is presenting Himself as a genie or fairy godmother. He’s promising His people a prosperous and hopeful future free from harm. Sign me up! But whenever we read a verse like this, we must always look at the surrounding context to make sure we are interpreting and applying the verse correctly.
The book of Jeremiah was written by the prophet Jeremiah, and it was written to the nation of Judah. Judah had been exiled to Babylon for her disobedience of God’s Law and her idolatrous worship of false gods. The people were wondering if God had abandoned them, if they would be stuck in Babylon forever, and what they should even do while they were in Babylon.
In chapter 29, Jeremiah encourages the people of Judah to seek the welfare of the city they were in (v. 7). They were to live their normal lives – building houses, planting produce, getting married, and having kids (vv. 5-6). They were to be faithful to God and pray to Him on the city’s behalf (v. 7). And Jeremiah reminds the people of God’s faithfulness to His covenant with them. They would remain in Babylon for 70 years, but God would then bring His people back to their Promised Land. He would fulfill His promise to them (v. 10).
This is the prosperous plan God had for His people. He would bring His people back to the land He had promised them, and He would bring them back into right relationship with Him. This is evident in the verse directly following verse 11-
“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:12-13, ESV
Allie Stuckey did an excellent podcast episode on this commonly misused verse about a year ago, and she did a great job at summarizing the true meaning of Jeremiah 29:11-
“In verse 11 of Jeremiah 29, when He says, ‘I have plans to prosper you and not to harm you,’ He’s clearly not saying, ‘I will never allow you to be hurt or go through anything hard.’ Actually, He is promising that they are going to suffer a lot for their rebellion. The prosperity and hope that He is talking about is reconciliation to Him, restoration in their relationship with Him. And that is what biblical prosperity actually is – not the absence of suffering, but the presence of communion with our Redeemer.”[1]
So, what does this verse mean for us today? Jeremiah 29:11 does not teach us that God is our genie who gives us what we want. It does not promise us that we will suffer no harm in this life. But it does show us that, just as God was faithful to His people and promised to bring them to their Promised Land, God will always remain faithful to us, and He promises to bring us to the place He has promised us – a place with no more pain, crying, mourning, or death (Revelation 21:4). Pastor Nate Pickowicz writes-
“By studying Jeremiah 29:11, we can take comfort in the truth that, if God is faithful and able to take care of His people who are held captive in Babylon, He is also faithful and able to preserve His people in the world today who are being delivered in Christ Jesus from spiritual captivity.”[2]
Next time you read this popular Bible verse, remember its true meaning. Remember that God is faithful to you, even in difficult circumstances. Remember that you are an exile on this earth, waiting for God to bring you home. And remember the glorious future hope you can look forward to. God indeed has a truly prosperous plan for us.
[1] Allie Beth Stuckey, “Ep 277| Most Misused: Jeremiah 29:11,” July 20, 2020, in Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey, produced by Blaze Podcast Network, podcast, MP3 audio, 30:40, https://alliebethstuckey.com/2020/07/20/ep-277-most-misused-jeremiah-2911/.
[2] Nate Pickowicz, How to Eat Your Bible: A Simple Approach to Learning and Loving the Word of God (Chicago: Moody Bible Publishers, 2021), 103.
