The Lord is calling on the exiles to live a life of hope even while in Babylon. This hope comes first from the assurance that he is in fact with them while in exile and that they have access to him through prayer (Jeremiah 29:4–7).1 But their hope is also rooted in the fact that the Lord’s plans for his people has not changed despite his judgment because of their unfaithfulness. His plan is still for their welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.
The meaning of this phrase is not just a future and hope, but rather the future they hope for. In other words, their hope is not just something they wish for in the future, but it is the certain future that the Lord will bring about.2 The Lord is calling the exiles to trust in him for a long time while far away from Jerusalem and the temple. This would teach them to trust him with their whole heart instead of trusting in their empty rituals and the mere presence of the temple as they did when in Jerusalem.3
11 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.