“For I know the plans I have for you”—this is the LORD’s declaration—“plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.
Jeremiah 29:11

The big picture is given to us here in Jeremiah. In planning for a business or any other long-term endeavor, you look ahead to your big picture, your 5, 10, or 20-year plan. There is always so much to learn as you go through the process in how you treat people, follow rules and statutes, endure uncomfortable situations and grow in maturity. You know times may be lean or painful when you start and as you continue learning important lessons, but you keep the hope and future in sight.

The surrounding verses of Jeremiah 29:10-12, give the context as they mention the Babylonian exile that is being addressed in these verses.

For this is what the Lord says: "When seventy years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm my promise concerning you to restore you to this place. For I know the plans I have for you"-this is the Lord's declaration-"plans for your well-being, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. You will call to me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you."

Too often in our everyday lives, we get focused on the immediate small details of what goes wrong, what isn't right, and miss the big picture over the long haul. The Babylonian captivity was a multi-generational time frame.

The big picture is also important in the context of time. Our focus is on minutes, hours, or even days, but in the view of eternity, they are but a fleeting instant. God has his plans in place for our well-being, future, and hope. Praise be to God!