It doesn’t take a prophet to rightly claim that each and every one of us has, is, or will find ourselves in exile at some point. From one moment to the next we’ve gone from stable employment to the line at the local food pantry. After a death, divorce, illness, or bankruptcy, we’ve gone from a comfortable and predictable life to one of isolation and despair. We pray to God for healing and resolution, but after waiting and waiting, we start to wonder if God is even there. For 40 years Jeremiah preaches and prophesies for God’s people to turn from their ways and return to God. His only words seem to be filled with threats of death and destruction, but then once the destruction and exile actually happen, his message changes. Once God’s people find themselves lost in a foreign land, having lost everything, Jeremiah’s message turns to one of hope. Circumstances may differ but the situation is timeless, and so is Jeremiah’s message that this too shall come to an end.