Jeremiah

From Jeremiah...


'Return, faithless Israel,' declares the Lord; 'I will not look upon you in anger. For I am gracious,' (3:12)

Go up through her vine rows and destroy, but do not execute a complete destruction. Strip away her branches, for they are not the Lord's. (5:10)

"Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord. (9:23-24)

I know, O Lord, that a man's way is not in himself; Nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps. (10:23)

"Listen to My voice, and do according to all which I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God (11:4)

Thou has planted them, they have also taken root; They grow, they have even reproduced fruit. Thou art near to their lips but far from their mind. But Thou knowest me, O Lord; Thou seest me; and Thou dost examine my heart's attitude toward Thee. (12:2-3)

Thy words were found and I ate them, and Thy words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart... (15:16)

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is the Lord. For he will be like a tree planted by the water, that extends its roots by a stream and will not fear when the heat comes; but it's leaves will be green, and it will not be anxious in a year of drought nor cease to yield fruit. (17:7-8)

But the Lord is with me like a dread champion... (20:11)

'For I know the plans that I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come 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.' (29:11-13)

"I will put my law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people." (31:33)


Throughout the book of Jeremiah, there is a theme of God desiring His people to come to Him and follow Him, for which He will reward them. He calls His people to listen to His voice and do what He commands them to do. To not boast in anything of ourselves, but only in knowing and understanding Him.

I've been reading Job, Jeremiah, Ruth, Esther.. The accounts of people who were in a situation where God was changing and molding them, either because they were strong in His sight or because they were severely lacking in an understanding of Who He is.

Spiritually right now, I am drinking in all that He is showing me of Himself. I am loving the precious times in His word. I am thankful that I am home to learn and fellowship with my family and my church family. I am enjoying being back with my friends and laughing, knowing I am safe with them, knowing we share the common tie of Christ...
Humanly, I am wishing He didn't have quite so much confidence in me. At times where it seems like He knows exactly where my breaking point is and He is bending me to within a millimeter of it... I just want to be done already. I want Him to take His hands off of me and give me a break. I want Him to step back and let me breathe. I want Him to say "ok, enough is enough. You could use a break."

And yet, the messes seem to hit one after the other. Big, little, catastrophic, minor, it doesn't matter. They roll in just when I think life has a chance of evening out.

That's the problem though... It is not about what "I think." As I have read through Jeremiah, I have seen that everything is about what He wants. And if He knows that making me uncomfortable, weary, and otherwise fried will make me run to Him as I try to see how to get through a day... Then He will allow those messes to enter into my life. If He knows that one more thing will bring me to the breaking point where I find myself on my knees by my bed crying for His grace; He will allow it. He wants me to come to Him, finding my reward in His embrace.

I am comforted knowing that He doesn't sit up on His throne and snap His fingers to watch me scramble for solid footing. He doesn't stomp His foot to make me catch my breath in fear. Instead, He has me cupped inside His hands, and He is filtering the things that He allows to enter my life through His fingers. He does know what I can handle. He does know my heart, my thoughts, and my emotions. He knows. He wants His words to be my joy. He wants His Love to be the Love I yearn for. He wants me to know that no matter what changes here on earth, that He will never change. He is the only steady thing. The only One I can count on being there forever. Sometimes, that is the only comfort we have to hold on to. And sometimes, it's the only one that we need.