Living in God's Plan in a Foreign Land

by Alan Suen

For house church leaders, who have faced increasing pressure and sometimes almost certain imprisonment at home, leaving China is a particularly difficult decision. This meditation on Jeremiah 29 represents their heartache, as well as their desire to follow God faithfully in their new home.

Along with the article “Where Are You Running To?”, this represents two responses of house church leaders to the current climate in China.

Editor’s Note

Urban Farmer is currently the Academic Dean at a house church seminary in a major Chinese city. He is a Fellow at the Center for House Church Theology, and holds a PhD at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Educational Studies.

A historic wave of emigration out of China is happening at the time of this writing (2024). The last few years have seen unprecedented numbers of Chinese relocate to other countries outside of China. Many are leaving because of an adverse economic climate or lack of political freedom. For house church leaders, who have faced increasing pressure and sometimes almost certain imprisonment at home, leaving is a particularly difficult decision.

This article does not address the question of whether to stay or go. Indeed, as followers of Jesus, both choices require walking by faith. In this case the author has already left China and finds himself disoriented in his new land, leaving behind a home that he clearly loves.

Instead it provides an insightful reading of Jeremiah 29 and what it means to live in a foreign land as a follower of Jesus Christ. Based on both his own experience and his interpretation of the passage, Suen challenges his readers who live in a foreign country to consider the Scripture’s charge to “seek the welfare of the city.”

Living in a foreign land is often filled with uncertainty about the future. The routine of life in our home country is disrupted, and this requires an equal measure of faith in God’s sovereign arrangement. This faith leads us to seek new opportunities in the midst of uncertainty, change, and life as an immigrant. In a sense, living as foreigners in a foreign land reminds us that our primary identity and citizenship are in God’s eternal kingdom.

The migration of the Chinese house church overseas may have major implications for the global church. Historically isolated, these house churches may become an important conduit for the Chinese diaspora to encounter faith or to be connected to house churches in China. Or, as we’ve seen in the United States and other Western countries, biblical Christianity could flourish even more in immigrant communities than in the native population, with those immigrants becoming evangelists to the West.

Regardless of the outcome, all believers would do well to pray for the Chinese house church and its response to the current climate in China.

About the Author

Alan Suen (pseudonym), a CHCT Fellow, has served as a writer, editor, translator, and professor of philosophy and religion for over 20 years. He was also a founding elder of a large house church in a major Chinese city. His primary interests are theological education and literature.

Living in God's Plan in a Foreign Land

“Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare…

"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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart."
—Jeremiah 29:5-7, 10-13

Let me start with a simple story. Before I came to the United States, two Christian brothers bought a gift for me. At that time, I hadn't opened it because I was busy packing my house. But since it was a joint gift from two brothers, I packed it in my luggage and brought it to the United States. It was quite a heavy gift. When I finally opened it while arranging my room, I discovered it was Jeremiah 29:10-13 engraved on a copper plate, very heavy indeed. Initially, I didn't think much about this passage because I had memorized it when I first believed in the Lord. I think many of you might be familiar with this passage. However, as I settled here and gradually delved into this scripture, I realized it contains much that I had memorized but not fully understood.

Understanding Jeremiah 29

Jeremiah 29 is a letter written by Jeremiah to the priests who were exiled in Babylon. This background is essential. In 597 BC, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon invaded Jerusalem. Although he did not destroy the temple at that time, he took captive King Jehoiachin, the queen, and over ten thousand people, as well as some items from the temple. This group included the prophet Ezekiel. This event was shocking, even more so than a previous invasion in 605 BC, where fewer people had been taken. This time, nearly all the influential individuals of Judah were exiled.

This event caused a great stir. Four years later, there was a desire to bring these people back to Jerusalem. After four years, an opportunity arose when Babylon faced some minor crises, and the surrounding nations that felt threatened, such as Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon, gathered in Jerusalem to discuss how they might use this opportunity to bring the exiles back. (1)

In this context, a prophet named Hananiah prophesied in the temple that the exiles would return within two years, and that King Nebuchadnezzar would fall within the same period.

Jeremiah, however, pointed out that this was not what the Lord intended. Hananiah initially resisted, but died two months later.

Not only in Jerusalem but also in Babylon, two prophets, Ahab and Zedekiah (ironically, names of kings), made similar prophecies. They told the exiled Israelites to prepare for their return within two years, which meant rebelling against the king of Babylon. As a result, they were burned alive for their rebellion. (2)

This context is crucial for understanding the letter. The prophecies, whether from Jerusalem or Babylon, had a profound impact at the time. The most direct consequence was King Zedekiah's rebellion against Babylon, leading to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 586 BC, a severe outcome.

Against this backdrop of political and prophetic trends, Jeremiah wrote to the exiles, telling them not to expect a return in two years, but to prepare for seventy years in exile.

Making such a prophecy, against the prevailing sentiment and at great risk, could only come from God. It meant telling the exiles to tear up their hopes because seventy years was a long time, given the average lifespan. Essentially, it meant they were to live and die in a foreign land, preparing to live their entire lives there.

God's people as a diaspora

When faced with significant challenges, upheavals, or changes, our instinct is to return to normalcy. It's the path of least resistance, like walking in a straight line rather than taking a detour. Returning to our routine is the easiest for us. When the pandemic first erupted, we all wished we could return to the normalcy of gathering together, which we have now achieved. But the question is, if we remain in the same place after believing in the Lord, has our life changed enough that we feel like we are living in a foreign land?

Before I left China, I didn't have the feeling of living in a foreign land. Of course, believing in the Lord brought significant changes. I found myself on the margins of the system, where it became nearly impossible to advance in position or title at the university where I worked. In China, there is a group known as "permanent associate professors" because of their Christian faith. I was an associate professor before believing, and that didn't change after believing.

Believing in the Lord placed us on the social system's margins. However, I didn't really feel like I was living in a foreign land because life went on as usual. It wasn't until I moved to the United States that I experienced the strong sensation of living in a foreign land, where the future is uncertain, and there is no predefined way to handle things. You must pray at every step. This is the feeling of living in a foreign land that I've come to understand.

This is why I've started to feel a connection with this particular passage. I use the phrase "started to feel" intentionally. Let us consider the people exiled in Babylon. When they read the letter from Jeremiah, which told them to prepare for death in that place, it was a stark message. Of course, I don't know if I'm meant to die in this place; that remains to be seen. My wife often tells me we will return in a few years, but that is uncertain. It's all in God's hands. Living in a foreign land means living one day at a time, waiting for God's guidance and leadership.

Even though we've arrived here, sometimes our hearts still live back home. I've been corrected for using the phrase "domestic (国内) ," because it implicitly refers to mainland China, not to the United States where we are living now. When you hear someone say “what's going on at home (domestic),” you know he is from mainland China.

I've realized that, especially in the beginning but even now, my routine involves checking WeChat and staying up to date with news from China, despite being physically in America. This shows where our burdens lie. However, reading Jeremiah's letter changed my perspective. The letter says, you should live in this foreign land as at home.

In Jeremiah 29:5-7, we see that this letter asks the Israelitesto live in the land that belonged to their enemies as if it were their own homeland, despite having been taken captive to a foreign land. As such, the letter instructs them to do three things.

First of all, it instructs them to work hard so that they might be able to survive relatively well: “plant gardens and eat their produce.” They were not to be dependent on others for relief; instead they were to be able to help their neighbors around them.

The second thing they are told to do is to run a household: “take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease.” This is about being prepared to live in long-term stability.

Third, they are to be involved in the community: “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.” The Israelites are to no longer think of Babylon as a foreign land, or as the land of their enemies, but become a blessing to the land and its community, as if they were the owners of the community.

So let us return to our own situation. God has brought us here to train us to break through and to have a global perspective. But God has also brought us here to live locally with our hearts, and to be a local blessing even though we are living as guests.

This led me to shift my focus more towards American news, especially during the latest elections, and to consume news from English-speaking circles. This represents a change in mindset as I seek to truly learn to live in a land of sojourn.

The Bible, including 1 Peter, refers to God's people as "exiles" and "sojourners," highlighting two characteristics of their life on earth: they are dispersed and temporary residents, not belonging to any one country, but living temporarily like in a foreign land.

Philippians 3:20 says, “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ.” We are citizens of God's kingdom, and our primary identity is as disciples of Christ, dispersed across the world. This indicates that our primary allegiance is not to any nation, but to God's kingdom. I might still feel a burden for mainland China, where God once placed me, but my identity is not tied to any nation.

God’s plan rather than ours

The concept of living as sojourners emphasizes our dependence on God, the King of the kingdom to which we truly belong.

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "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." This verse comforted me during my initial doubts about moving.

For a while after first arriving, I often pondered whether my leaving China was in accordance with God’s will, or if I had somehow escaped from it. At times, fear would grip me, and I would wonder when God's judgment might descend upon me. However, this passage brings great comfort, reminding me that God's plans are for our prosperity, not disaster. It instills a sense of peace, assuring me that my thoughts should be of comfort, not impending doom.

The term "plans" in the original text implies a deliberate design rather than a mere idea; and "welfare" conveys not just peace but flourishing. God's plans are to prosper us, giving us hope and a future, a promise that brings comfort and hope, especially when the future seems uncertain.

This promise from God is precious, assuring us that he has a plan for us, even when we can't see what lies ahead. Like driving to an unknown destination, the path becomes clear as we move forward, trusting in God's plan.

Our hope in God differs from human hope, which is based on our plans and goals. Divine hope is trusting in God's plan, regardless of our understanding.

In our sojourn, our primary stance should be looking up to Jehovah, living within his plan, which brings a unique hope from God. This is not based on prior knowledge but on faith in his sovereign plan.

In our lives, our own plans often face the possibility of failure. Does this mean we should abandon planning altogether? No, it is still essential to make plans. Before arriving here, I had grand plans, but I quickly learned that plans are prone to failure, especially in a foreign land where changes are rapid and unpredictable. Our plans may falter, but God's plans never do. They are unchanging.

In 1999, while I was an exchange student at Regent College in Vancouver, I met a brother from a relatively affluent family. He felt a strong responsibility towards us theology students from China and often took us out for meals. Since we rarely ate out due to financial constraints, these outings filled us with excitement. His car was equipped with an early version of a navigation system that only provided audio directions without a map. It would simply announce, "Turn right at the red light ahead," and we would follow. Just follow the sound whenever it occurs, even though you cannot see it until after you turn the corner.

Today, we rely on visual maps to gauge our distance and route before making a turn. Back then, without a visual guide, we trusted the voice and made turns as instructed, marveling at the technology that guided us to our destination.

Living in this transient world is akin to following such a navigation system. When approaching a decision point, we turn as directed without worrying about the distance ahead. In China, I learned a valuable lesson in church: when God's will is unclear, keep moving forward until you hear a directive. This teaches us to follow God's guidance step by step, not by seeing the entire map at once but by trusting in the path he reveals one step at a time. Especially during significant turning points in our lives, our journey often requires this step-by-step faith.

Therefore, it's not about forgoing plans, but about trusting that God's plans are superior to ours. The Bible promises that if we earnestly seek him, he will be found by us. This is particularly true during pivotal moments in our lives, when our undivided attention and wholehearted seeking lead us to find him. His promise is precious and reiterated in scripture, emphasizing that while planning is important, seeking him earnestly, especially in times of uncertainty, is paramount.

This is the transformative experience of following Christ, likening it to living as a foreigner in a strange land. In such circumstances, we learn to rely on God, trusting that he has a plan for each of us that brings hope and a different future. Regardless of our situation, earnestly seeking him ensures we will find him.

Notes:

Samuel Y Tang, A Commentary on Ezekiel (I), Tien Dao Publishing House Ltd., 1990, p.18.
Jeremiah 29:21-22. See Samuel Y Tang, A Commentary on Jeremiah (II), Tien Dao Publishing House Ltd., 2017, 29:21-22.

This article was originally a sermon, which has been edited for length and clarity. This English edition and introduction are copyright © 2024 by the Center for House Church Theology. Illustration by PC Ng.

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