Thriving in Adversity: Embracing God's Plan for Growth
Summary
Life often feels more complicated and challenging than it once did, and it’s easy to look back on simpler times with nostalgia. Yet, even as we long for easier days or wish to break free from our current circumstances, God’s hand is always at work in our lives. Sometimes, we find ourselves in places or situations that feel confining or even contrary to our desires, but God sees the entire trajectory of our journey. He knows not only where we are, but also where we’re going, and what we need to learn in the present to be prepared for the future He has planned.
Reflecting on the story of Jeremiah and the exiles in Babylon, it’s clear that God’s plans often defy our expectations. While the people longed for a quick return to Jerusalem, God instructed them to settle in Babylon—build houses, plant gardens, marry, and seek the welfare of the city. Rather than focusing on escape, they were called to thrive where they were planted. This principle applies to every area of our lives: instead of always seeking to move on to something seemingly better, we are invited to find purpose and blessing in our current circumstances.
Jesus’ teaching about the yoke further illuminates this truth. Just as a young ox is trained alongside a master ox, we are yoked with Christ, learning from Him as we navigate life’s burdens. The yoke is not meant to crush us, but to train and strengthen us, preparing us for greater things ahead. God never gives us more than we can bear, but we must be willing to take the next step, trusting that He will reveal the path as we move forward.
In practical terms, this means building, planting, reproducing, and prospering right where we are. Whether in our church, our families, or our communities, God calls us to invest deeply, to cultivate spiritual roots, and to bear fruit. The journey may not always be easy or quick, but God’s faithfulness ensures that every season has purpose. As we listen to His voice and remain faithful in the present, we can trust that He is preparing us for a future filled with hope and blessing.
Key Takeaways
- God’s Perspective Is Greater Than Ours
While we often see only our immediate circumstances, God sees the entire map of our lives. He knows the lessons and growth we need in our current season to prepare us for what’s ahead. Trusting His plan means accepting that where we are now is not an accident, but a necessary part of our journey. [09:24]
- Thrive Where You Are Planted
Instead of longing for escape or waiting for better conditions, God calls us to build, plant, and seek the welfare of our present situation. Blessing and growth come not from running away, but from investing ourselves fully where God has placed us, even if it’s not where we expected to be. [12:59]
- Adversity Is a Tool for Growth
God does not promise to shield us from hardship, but He uses adversity to mature and strengthen us. Like the young ox yoked to the master, we are trained through challenges, learning to rely on Christ and developing the character needed for future responsibilities. [14:14]
- Take the Next Step in Faith
God often reveals His guidance one step at a time, requiring us to move forward in trust before we see the whole picture. As we act in faith, He provides what we need for each stage, shaping us through obedience and perseverance. [20:09]
- Build, Plant, Reproduce, and Prosper
The call to build, plant, reproduce, and prosper is both personal and communal. By investing in our current context—whether church, family, or community—we lay foundations for future fruitfulness. God’s unique plan for each of us unfolds as we faithfully engage in the work He sets before us. [28:28]
Youtube Chapters
[00:00] - Welcome
[01:10] - Reflecting on Changing Times
[04:29] - Early Life Lessons and College Choices
[06:46] - Job Search and Unexpected Opportunities
[08:28] - Feeling Stuck and God’s Hidden Hand
[09:24] - God’s Plan View vs. Our Limited Perspective
[11:26] - Jeremiah, Hananiah, and False Hope
[12:16] - God’s True Word: Seventy Years in Exile
[12:59] - Instructions for Exile: Build and Prosper
[14:14] - The Purpose of Adversity and the Yoke
[15:50] - The Master Ox and Training Through Burdens
[17:55] - Jesus’ Yoke: Learning and Growing
[20:09] - Taking Steps of Faith Amidst Problems
[22:33] - Building Where You Are
[24:30] - The Principle of Staying and Building
[25:41] - Planting Spiritual Roots
[27:25] - Reproducing and Bearing Fruit
[28:28] - God’s Unique Plan for Our Future
Study Guide
Small Group Bible Study Guide
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### Bible Reading
Jeremiah 29:4-7 (NIV)
> This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: “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. 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.”
Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
> “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
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### Observation Questions
1. In Jeremiah 29:4-7, what specific instructions does God give to the exiles living in Babylon?
2. According to the sermon, what was the false hope that Hananiah gave to the people, and how did Jeremiah respond? ([12:16])
3. In Matthew 11:28-30, what does Jesus say about His yoke and burden? How does He describe Himself?
4. What practical actions did the pastor mention that the exiles—and we—are called to do in our current circumstances? ([12:59])
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### Interpretation Questions
1. Why do you think God told the exiles to build, plant, and seek the welfare of Babylon instead of focusing on returning home right away? What might this reveal about God’s perspective on difficult seasons? ([12:59])
2. The sermon compares our journey to a young ox yoked to a master ox. What does this illustration teach about how God uses challenges to train and prepare us? ([14:14])
3. How does Jesus’ invitation to take His yoke upon us change the way we view our burdens and struggles? ([17:55])
4. The pastor said that God often reveals His guidance one step at a time. Why might God choose to lead us this way instead of showing us the whole plan at once? ([20:09])
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### Application Questions
1. The sermon talked about longing for “simpler times” or wanting to escape our current situation. Is there an area in your life right now where you feel “stuck” or wish you could move on? How might God be inviting you to build or plant right where you are? ([08:28])
2. God told the exiles to seek the peace and prosperity of the city they were in. What is one practical way you can invest in your workplace, neighborhood, or church this week, even if it’s not where you hoped to be? ([12:59])
3. The pastor shared about being “yoked” with Christ and learning from Him. What is one burden or challenge you are carrying right now that you need to bring to Jesus? How can you let Him carry it with you? ([17:55])
4. Think about a time when you wanted to skip a hard season or avoid adversity. Looking back, what did you learn from that experience? How might God be using your current challenges to prepare you for something ahead? ([14:14])
5. The sermon emphasized taking the next step in faith, even when the whole path isn’t clear. What is one small step of obedience or trust you sense God asking you to take this week? ([20:09])
6. The call to “build, plant, reproduce, and prosper” was both personal and communal. Is there a relationship or ministry in your life that needs more intentional investment right now? What would it look like to “plant” or “build” in that area? ([25:41])
7. The pastor mentioned that every season has purpose, even if it’s not easy or quick. How can you remind yourself of God’s faithfulness and purpose in your current season? Is there a verse, prayer, or practice that helps you stay grounded? ([28:28])
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Devotional
Day 1: God Has a Plan for Your Life
Even when you feel stuck or out of place, God is orchestrating your journey with a purpose that you may not yet see, using your current circumstances to prepare you for what lies ahead. Sometimes, it’s easy to believe that your present situation is a detour or a delay, but God’s perspective is far greater than ours—He sees the whole map, not just the spot you’re standing on. Trust that where you are now is not an accident; God is training and equipping you for the future He has designed for you. Instead of longing to escape, seek to discern what God is teaching you in this season, knowing that He is faithful to use every experience for your growth and His glory. [09:24]
Jeremiah 29:10-11 (ESV)
“For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Reflection: Where in your life do you feel “stuck” or out of place, and how might God be using this season to prepare you for something greater?
Day 2: Embrace the Yoke—God Trains Us Through Challenge
God does not promise to remove all adversity, but He uses challenges as opportunities to train, mature, and strengthen us, just as a master ox trains a younger ox to carry the yoke. The burdens you face are not meant to crush you, but to teach you how to walk in step with Jesus, who carries the heavier load and guides you through each trial. When you accept Christ’s invitation to take His yoke, you are not alone—He is gentle and humble, and He leads you with wisdom and care. Through every hardship, God is shaping you into your best self, equipping you to thrive and prosper in His timing. [17:03]
Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV)
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Reflection: What is one challenge you are facing right now, and how can you invite Jesus to walk alongside you and help you carry it today?
Day 3: Build Where You Are
Rather than always seeking to escape your current circumstances, God calls you to invest, build, and find the good right where you are planted. The temptation to look for something better elsewhere can distract you from the blessings and opportunities God has placed before you. By choosing to build—whether in your church, family, workplace, or community—you participate in God’s work and open yourself to the fruit He wants to bring forth in your life. Embrace the present, and trust that God can bring growth and blessing even in unexpected places. [23:46]
Luke 10:5-7 (ESV)
“Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.”
Reflection: What is one practical way you can invest in or build up your current environment—your church, family, or workplace—this week?
Day 4: Plant Deep Spiritual Roots
Spiritual growth comes from intentionally planting the Word of God and nurturing your faith through study, prayer, and community. Just as planting leads to fruit in the natural world, investing in your spiritual life—through Bible study, small groups, and fellowship—produces a strong root system that sustains you through every season. The deeper your roots go in God, the more resilient and fruitful you become, able to withstand adversity and bless others. Make it a priority to cultivate your relationship with God and with fellow believers, knowing that spiritual roots lead to lasting spiritual fruit. [25:41]
Colossians 2:6-7 (ESV)
“Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.”
Reflection: How can you intentionally deepen your spiritual roots this week—perhaps by joining a Bible study, spending more time in prayer, or connecting with a small group?
Day 5: Trust God to Bring Fruit and Prosperity
When you remain faithful in building, planting, and persevering through challenges, God promises to bring forth fruit and prosperity in His way and in His time. The journey may look different than you expect, but God uses every experience—both the struggles and the successes—to shape your future and bless your community. Trust that God’s plan is good, and that He is able to do more than you can imagine as you follow His leading. Celebrate the fruit that is already growing, and look forward with hope to the greater things God has in store for you and those around you. [28:28]
Psalm 1:2-3 (ESV)
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”
Reflection: Where have you already seen God bring fruit or growth in your life or community, and how can you give thanks and continue to trust Him for what’s ahead?
Quotes
I learned that sometimes we're in a position. And we think that we're stuck. And we just want to get out of it. But we forget that God has his hand on our life. He has a plan for your life. And you might be in a place where you think you don't belong and you need to get out of that position. And you somehow need to spread your wings, break free and soar and do all kinds of whatever wonderful things. But God needs to have you right where you are, planted where you are, because he knows that you're going to learn some things there that you're going to need over here. And you're not going to be able to soar over here unless you get it right there. [00:08:37] (40 seconds)
He is the one that can see the entire trajectory. He has the plan view. He has the plan view. it's like we are 2d on a map and all we see is the spot where we're in and he's 3d he can see the whole map and he knows where you are where you're going to be and he knows what you got to do here in order to make it there. [00:09:18]
Sometimes we just want things to be better now we just want it all fixed now we just want to break free now but we forget that god has a plan for our life and in order for us to fulfill the vision that we have in our life that we've got to pay attention to the preaching word of god and not be on our phones or anything else amen we have to be into what god is saying in order to get a divine direction from him so that he can make us to be our best selves and he can use us to do his divine work that he's planned for us to do. [00:09:40]
Instead of crying and wailing about how all of the circumstances will keep you from having joy and peace. Instead of complaining about all these things that are happening that are making life so difficult for you. Instead of having a victim mentality about, oh, if only this hadn't happened to us and we wouldn't be in this terrible. Instead of all that, he says, build houses. Plant. Eat from the produce of what you plant. Give your sons and your daughters and marriage and reproduce. Prosper. And he says, because I have a good plan for you. [00:13:03] (46 seconds)
Don't be so quick to always take off the yoke. Because if God has his hand on your life and you are God's child, he'll use the yoke for a purpose. So that when the time comes for him to call you out of that... that is when you will thrive and prosper. [00:00:00]
So often we want to go over those stages or around those stages. You know, this is a fundamental principle in the Old and the New Testament, that we want to somehow avoid any adversity, avoid any calamity, avoid any hardship. But God doesn't say that I am going to keep you from having adversity, difficulty, or hardship. [00:14:14]
Jesus says the same thing. He says, Matthew 11, 28, he says, Take my yoke and learn of me. In fact, he says, For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. What he's saying is this. He's saying that when we are challenged, that is when we are catalyzed, motivated, and inspired to reach deeper down, connect to God, and find our best selves. [00:14:43] (61 seconds)
We want to make it all magical. We want God to snap his fingers and make everything great. We forget that he is working to make us great. [00:15:50]
The one thing that is true is this. God is still God and you are still God's child. And therefore, we should pray. We should support each other. We should build. We should plant. We should reproduce. Amen. And then after that, we should prosper. [00:19:09]
We can be paralyzed. We can be weighed down if we let the burdens come on us. But if we were never to take on any of the training, if we were not going to go through the field with Jesus by our side, then we would never learn to navigate it ourselves. [00:19:34] (26 seconds)
God, as the word says, will never give us more than we can bear. But sometimes we give ourselves more than we ought to bear. And he's saying, learn how to let Jesus handle what he's ready to handle and then handle what he's giving you to handle and then continue to step forward. [00:20:00]
What I found is that if you just looked at that problem right then and there it would never would have gotten fixed it never would have gotten out but you just keep stepping and as you step god will show you one step at a time but he needs for you to take a step before he will show you what you need to know at that particular juncture and that way you'll know the next step to take. [00:20:41]
We have hope for the future not on the circumstances not on the burdens not on the worries but to know that god has a plan for your life and just because you might not be where you want to be right now doesn't mean that god isn't training you right now for where he wants you to be in the future. [00:21:09] (22 seconds)
What Jeremiah is saying is find the good where you are. Don't always want to leave something to find something better. [00:23:38]
Too often the pastor wants to run to the most comfortable situation instead of planting his feet and building where he is, amen. But I think that scripturally, both in the Old Testament and the New, that if there's some commonality that you can build on, then instead of wanting to get out of it, you should build where you are. [00:25:30]
Planting is what we're doing. When we have Bible study, we have awesome Bible studies, amen. And I got news for you. Ed's not the teacher. The Holy Spirit is, amen. We learn from each other. I learn as much as from you all as we learn from each other. It's planting the word of God. It is building our spiritual root in God. [00:26:07] (22 seconds)
As you build where you are, you will get fruit, amen, as it says. If you plant, you will get fruit that we can benefit from. [00:27:13]
I believe that if you stay during a challenge, you build where you are, you plant in that building, you will get produce, amen. [00:27:29] (21 seconds)
God has a great future. He has a great future for you, for your family, for your situation, for your community, but mostly for this church. We will build. We will plant. We will reproduce. And we will prosper. [00:30:00] (21 seconds)
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