The exiles were surprised by the length of their captivity, yet Jeremiah reassured them that God's plans were for their good, offering a future and hope even when their immediate situation seemed bleak.

Jeremiah points us to a time when God would write on man’s hearts and no longer on tablets of stone. But for now, we are still living in exile.

Hope for those who have been living in exile. That was part of the message Isaiah brought to the children of God who had been waiting for decades; now deliverance was coming. So . . . How long have you been living in exile?