Slideshow image
Scripture for the day: Jeremiah 42:6 Whether it is pleasing or displeasing, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we send you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.
Thought for the day: Well, I have great confidence that I won’t die this week. Now, I’m assuming that great sage who said, “God put me on this earth to accomplish a certain number of things; right now I’m so far behind I may never die,” is correct. If he’s not, there could be serious trouble! Seriously, none of us are nearly as indispensable as we like to believe, are we? Think about it’ is there even one thing you do in this world that couldn’t be done by another? Why, before the day is done, the Lord could raise up someone to take your place from the very stones beneath your feet! – and the same is true for me, but that’s not really what I wanted to talk about this morning (although, now that I think about it, there is somewhat of a connection between today’s verse and doing God’s will, isn’t there?).
The children of Israel were in dire straits. They’d been defeated by Nebuchadnezzar, their king had been blinded and taken to Babylon as a prize and they had no real future in the land. Danger was their constant companion; they went to bed at night with no hope and woke every morning to face another day of wondering if their own time to die was at hand. Those of us in America and other “western” nations can’t even imagine such an existence, but for them it was a reality. So they did what people often do when faced with danger and hardship; they turned to God, promising to faithfully obey whatever He told them, if only He’d get them out of the imminent danger they were in. and I think they meant it. The only problem was, they didn’t expect the answer they got through the prophet Jeremiah.
They were expecting the Lord to provide a means of escape, somewhere to go and hide until the danger had passed. They’d already set their minds on Egypt where life appeared to be peaceful and easy. There was no war, no famine, no persecution there, only peace and plenty. Surely the Lord, who loved the remnant of Israel, would want such peace and plenty for His people, wouldn’t He? Of course he would! So, they sent Jeremiah to confirm with God what they already knew. Can you imagine their surprise when he came back a few days later with the answer: “stay where you are; endure the hardships, don’t be afraid of the Chaldeans for I will take care of you right where you are.”
Why, a God of love couldn’t possibly mean such a thing as this! So they concluded that, since the word of Jeremiah didn’t coincide with what they already “knew” to be God’s will, Jeremiah must be wrong. And away to Egypt they went, only to suffer the consequences of their further disobedience.
And how often have we looked in a mirror and discovered the same attitude in ourselves? How often have we convinced ourselves that our will and God’s will must be the same because He would surely want us to be happy, healthy, and safe in our homes, wouldn’t He? How often have we ignored the clear direction of His word, whether to go or to stay, simply because it either didn’t make sense or didn’t mesh with our own will in the matter before us?
Where does He want you? What does He want you to be about? Read Jeremiah 42 and 43:2-3 and 7 and then reassess the situations of your life in light of what the Word is telling you. Stay – go – it makes no difference as long as it’s what the Lord is directing. Don’t be afraid of the “Chaldeans” in your life; the Lord is calling the shots and He will protect you wherever you go – as long as it’s where He’s sending you.
Now go take on your world. - Bill