And God said to a people that He had caused to go into captivity, while they were in captivity:
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
This assurance was given to a people denied of their liberty, as part of God’s plan for them.
Sometimes, what could look like a “bad” thing to an outside observer could be God’s perfect will for you. (Ironically those who were not taken away as captives were utterly destroyed by their enemies. Their so called freedom made them vulnerable to annihilation).
God gave the captives a profound promise to be with them in the midst of their captivity:
Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.
When you search for something with all your heart – you leave no stone unturned until you find it.
You never give up until you find it. You cannot rest. Your mind is not at ease, until you find it. You are unable to sleep even as your mind works non-stop to solve the riddle, to find the answer.
Finding Him and His will alone takes precedence over everything else. You cannot stand still. You are constantly in motion, trying different things until you find the solution. You don’t give up. And when you search of Him with all your heart, God promises:
I will be found by you, says the Lord, and I will bring you back from your captivity; I will gather you from all the nations and from all the places where I have driven you, says the Lord, and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive.
Ultimately, the one who trusts in God in all seasons, and who finds Him in all circumstances, whether good or bad – will never lack peace, and will therefore always know freedom in their hearts, whether that person is physically free or not.
Jer 29:11-14 NKJV
Musings on Music, Motherhood and other Mysteries 