Study from God’s Word… Jer. 21: 1-14; Jer. 22: 1-9; Jer. 34: 1-7; Jer. 32: 1-44; Jer. 33: 1-11 … Passage for Reflection: Jeremiah 32: 25 … NIV [Jeremiah’s lament and declaration to God concerning God allowing Babylon to lay siege to Jerusalem and Judah] 24 "See how the siege ramps are built up to take the city [i.e., Jerusalem]. Because of the sword, famine and plague, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians who are attacking it. What You said has happened, as You now see. 25 And though the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, you, O Sovereign LORD, say to me, 'Buy the field with silver and have the transaction witnessed.' "
My Journal for Today: Dr. Smith today reminds me of expressions of exasperation like the one in our highlight passage for today. We know these expressions, such as “when pigs fly,” or “when hell freezes over,” or “no way, man!” All are proclamations of hopelessness; and in our past – or maybe even right now – we’ve had times or circumstances when we might have cried out in desperation and hopelessness.
There was a time in my life, when I had lived over 25 years thinking that I could not be rid of my weaknesses in the area of sexual sin. I felt that I was too far gone. The enemy (Satan, whom I didn’t even recognize in my lost condition) had laid siege to my very being; and I couldn’t see a way out or up. But God is a God of wonderful second chances; and He just loves to visit reformation, restoration, and renewal on those who turn to Him in faith. And that’s where Jeremiah was asked to be at the time we read of Him recognizing that God’s city was about to be taken by the Babylonians. And that’s what God showed me on April 13, 1983; when in faith I came to The Lord in surrender. Now, I live a life KNOWING that His grace can not only save me, it can give me the power to walk in the joy of renewal.
But God gave Jeremiah that same, … the hope that any believer in The Messiah, Who has now come to demonstrate His power over the lost causes of this world, can have. Yes, Satan can still lay siege to our world; but only to the degree that it’s part of God’s plan, which has already included His incarnation and His Son being sacrificed, resurrected, and rethroned in atonement for our sin.
Dr. Smith asks today, ”Have I too quickly given up all hope over some ‘impossible’ situation that God may (or likely could) turn completely around?” You deal with that question today. I already have; and I’ve seen His power, with my surrender to His Spirit, to “restore the years that the locusts have eaten (see Joel 2: 25).”
My Prayer for Today: Lord, thank You for showing me your wondrous desire to bring the wasted field into bloom once again. Amen
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