In Ezekiel 16, the Lord used a parable to describe His people as a wife who is unfaithful to her husband. God had blessed His people and they had, in turn, put other things ahead of God, making idols of the very things God had blessed them with. Reading through this parable, I could not help but see the resemblance of this kind of unfaithfulness in America, among Christians and non-Christians. We so quickly fall in love with the things of this world and are willing to sacrifice so much of what God has blessed us with in order to have more and more of what the world has to offer instead of running after what God has to offer.

“On the day you were born, no one cared about you. Your umbilical cord was not cut and you were never washed, rubbed with salt, and wrapped in cloth. No one had the slightest interest in you; no one pitied you or cared for you. On the day you were born, you were unwanted, dumped in a field and left to die. BUT I CAME BY AND SAW YOU THERE, helplessly kicking about in your own blood. As you lay there, I said, ‘Live!’ And I HELPED YOU to thrive like a plant in the field…

“What a sick heart you have, says the Sovereign Lord, to do such things as these, acting like a shameless prostitute…SO EAGER TO SIN…you are the opposite of other prostitutes. You pay your lovers instead of their paying you!” – (Ezekiel 16:4-16, 28b-34)

Oh, help us, Lord! In a book that describes the wrath of God and His severe punishment on a nation that was unfaithful after He had done so much for them, He uses a parable that could easily be used to describe us.

God blesses us with time and we spend it on ourselves.
God blesses us with money and we use it to buy more of what the world has to offer.
God blesses us with a television and we watch unwholesome programs.
God blesses us with beauty and we use it to bring attention to ourselves.
God blesses us with beautiful bodies and we dress immodestly.
God blesses us with a sense of humor and we participate in coarse joking.
God blesses us with intelligence and we make our own decisions.
God blesses us with talent and we allow pride to grow.
God blesses us with family and we gossip & complain about them.

Forgive us, Lord!
Forgive us for the importance we put on the things of this world and on our own physical beauty.
Forgive us for embracing “the land of merchants” and always wanting more (especially at Christmas).
Forgive us for thinking that our fame and beauty are our own.
Forgive us for thinking anything You have blessed us with is ours to enjoy.
Forgive us, Lord!

“I will be a sanctuary to you during your time of exile.” Wow, these words are so powerful. God was punishing His people by allowing Jerusalem to be destroyed, including the Temple – their place of worship. Why? To remind them that the Temple was never meant to be a place to BE worshipped but a place to worship GOD. Now the Temple is gone and they are far from their homes and all God had blessed them with, but they still had God. He was with them and He desired to be their sanctuary. He stripped them of everything so that they would fall on their knees and recognize Him as the only place to go to worship.

Lord, be our sanctuary. Do a work in our hearts as we look to you alone for our salvation. May your words in Ezekiel describe us as we return our attention to You and remove every trace of idols from our lives, especially during this Christmas season:

And I will give them singleness of heart and put a new spirit within them. I will take away their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart, so they will obey my decrees and regulations. Then they will truly be my people, and I will be their God. – 11:19-20

God called Ezekiel to be WEIRD. I am not sure there is any better word to describe his calling. God used these dramatic visual aids to be performed by or lived out by Ezekiel, getting the attention of his audience with visual messages that would be hard to forget. Ezekiel could have let pride get in the way and could have said – No God, that’s just WEIRD. What would people think of me? But instead Ezekiel experienced things like no one else ever had or ever will, all because he was willing to be WEIRD for God.

Ezekiel took a brick and drew a map of Jerusalem on it. Similar to a young boy playing with Legos, Ezekiel build a wall around the brick and then set up enemy camps to surround the city (brick), with little miniature siege ramps and battering rams. He took an iron griddle and placed it between himself and the brick (4:1-3).

Then Ezekiel lay on his side facing the replica of Jerusalem and placed the sins of Israel on himself. He was tied up with ropes and confined to this position for 390 days, one day for each year of Israel’s sin. Then Ezekiel turned over and on his right side for another 40 days, one for each year of Judah’s sin. For 430 days, Ezekiel laid on his side, tied up with rope, baring his arm and prophesying Jerusalem’s destruction (4:4-8).

During this time, Ezekiel ate food he had prepared in advance and rationed out. He did this to show how food in Jerusalem would be hard to find and rationed in small portions. God asked him to prepare this bread using human dung to show how the Israelites would be forced to eat defiled bread in the Gentile lands to which they would be banished. This was when Ezekiel had a “Please, not that God – that’s just too WEIRD” moment. God relented and allowed Ezekiel to bake his bread over cow dung instead (still gross but not quite as WEIRD). – Ezekiel 4:9-17

Then Ezekiel shaved his head and divided the hair into three piles. He took 1/3 of the hair and laid it on the brick replica of Jerusalem. He then acted out the siege with his miniature enemies, just as a young child would play with their toys. He took another third of his hair and spread it across his battle ground and then chopped it up with a sword. Then he took the last third of his hair and lifted it for the wind to scatter. He then took some of the hair in front of him and threw it on the fire. Some of God’s people would not survive the famine, some would die violent deaths in the battle, and some would be scattered into exile (5:1-4).

“But I will let a few of my people escape destruction, and they will be scattered among the nations of the world. Then when they are exiled among the nations, they will remember me. They will recognize how hurt I am by their unfaithful hearts and lustful eyes that long for their idols. Then at last they will hate themselves for all their detestable sins. They will know that I alone am the Lord and that I was serious when I said I would bring this calamity on them.” – Ezekiel 6:8-10

On another occasion, when all the leaders of Judah were in Ezekiel’s home, God took ahold of Ezekiel. In a moment, he was facing what appeared to be a man who looked like gleaming ambers from the waist up and a burning fire from the waist down. He reached out with what seemed to be a hand and took Ezekiel by the hair, lifting him into the sky and transporting him back to Jerusalem in a vision from God. God showed Ezekiel the detestable and wicked sins that were being committed in the Temple, sins committed in dark secret rooms but seen by God. Then Ezekiel watched as God’s wrath was poured out on the city – no mercy, no pity – the Temple courtyards filling up with the corpses.

Then Ezekiel saw what appeared to be a throne above the heads of the cherubim. “Then the glory of the Lord rose up from above the cherubim and went over to the door of the Temple. The Temple was filled with this cloud of glory, and the courtyard glowed brightly with the glory of the Lord. The moving wings of the cherubim sounded like the voice of God Almighty and could be heard even in the inner courtyard…Then the cherubim rose upward…Then THE GLORY OF THE LORD MOVED OUT from the door of the Temple and hovered above the cherubim…” – Ezekiel 10:4-5,15a,18

Every sin had been seen by God and every thought known by God. He knew those in exile in Jerusalem were still bragging about their freedom and how they would now get all the land that was owned by those who had been taken into exile. Even in the horrible situation they were in, they were greedy and prideful (11:5,15-16). Those in exile continued to have rebellious hearts, refusing to see and hear the God they believed was still in the Temple in Jerusalem (12:2).

So God called Ezekiel to be WEIRD once more. During the day, Ezekiel packed all of his belongings and moved them outside of his home – a scene that immediately caught the attention of God’s people. Then, as night fell, Ezekiel went back into his home and began digging a hole in the wall with his bare hands, just as a captive would need to do in order to escape imprisonment. He then crawled out of the hole and lifted his pack on his shoulder. His WEIRD antics had everyone’s attention now. He then gave them a message from the Lord, prophesying the way in which King Zedekiah would soon be leaving Jerusalem. He would be captured and brought to Babylon to be a captive just as they were. His army would be scattered and their last chance at being rescued by their king would vanish (Ezekiel 12).

The story of Ezekiel’s life is bizarre and interesting, but it comes down to one simple statement – Ezekiel was WEIRD because God called him to be WEIRD and he was willing to be WEIRD if that’s what God wanted him to be, if that’s what it took for God to get the attention of His people. So what happens if God asks us to be WEIRD for Him? What happens if He asks us to do something that seems unreasonable, ridiculous, or just plain WEIRD? Are we willing to go there? Are we willing to put pride aside and do whatever God asks us to do? Hmmmm. That’s a hard question to answer honestly. I think I will go back for a second cup of my morning coffee and seek the heart of God on this one…

Jeremiah was not the only one God called to prophesy to His people during this difficult time in the life of Israel and Judah, both now exiled into captivity. While Jeremiah was hearing from God from within the walls of Jerusalem, Ezekiel had already been exiled to Babylon when “he felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him” (Ezekiel 1:3). I love that description! Can you testify to that action in your life? Have you felt the hand of the Lord take hold of you?

The call on Ezekiel’s life would be a very difficult one but God equipped him for what was ahead, just as He continues to equip us today. Through visions, God would show Ezekiel the worst side of the Israelites. Ezekiel’s eyes would be opened to the horrific things God’s people were doing – the reason God was so angry and His punishment was so harsh. That is a lot for one person to know and you can imagine that Ezekiel’s burden was very heavy.

With this call came a great deal of responsibility which added to the weight on Ezekiel’s shoulders. “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. If I warn the wicked saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me” (3:17-19).

The call on Ezekiel’s life was great but so is the God who called him and who would equip him! All he had to do was respond in obedience to what God was calling him to do and to say. He was not responsible for the response of the people but he was responsible for his own response to God’s call.

Just as Ezekiel saw the horrible and heartbreaking actions of his people, he also saw the glory of God and was filled with the Spirit. He had difficulty even describing what he saw, so he described it as best he could using descriptions such as “looked like” or “what appeared to be” or “this is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me”.

Above the surface was something that looked like a throne made of blue lapis lazuli. And on this throne high above was a figure whose appearance resembled a man. From what appeared to be his waist up, he looked like gleaming amber, flickering like a fire. And from his waist down, he looked like a burning flame, shining with splendor. All around him was a glowing halo, like a rainbow shining in the clouds on a rainy day. This is what the glory of the Lord looked like to me. When I saw it, I fell face down on the ground, and I heard someone’s voice speaking to me. “Stand up, son of man,” said the voice. “I want to speak with you.” The Spirit came into me as he spoke, and he set me on my feet. I listened carefully to his words (1:26-2:2).

Praise God that the Spirit of the Lord continues to fill us and set us on our feet when we feel overwhelmed. God also gives us His words to fill and prepare us for what is ahead.

“Open your mouth and eat what I give you.” Then I looked and saw a hand reaching out to me. It held a scroll, which he unrolled. And I saw that both sides were covered with funeral songs, words of sorrow, and pronouncements of doom. The voice said to me, “Son of man, eat what I am giving you – eat this scroll! Then go and give its message to the people of Israel.” So I opened my mouth, and he fed me the scroll. “Fill your stomach with this,” he said. And when I ate it, it tasted as sweet as honey in my mouth…Then he added, “Son of man, let all my words sink deep into your own heart first. Listen to them carefully for yourself. Then go to your people in exile and say to them, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says!’ Do this whether they listen to you or not.” Then the Spirit lifted me up… (2:8b-3:3,10-12a).

What God is calling you to do today is not a heavier call than He gave Ezekiel. Perhaps you are feeling overwhelmed and have fallen on your face before the Lord. Trust God’s Spirit to lift you up off your face and fill you. Rest in His hand as you feel the strength of the Lord’s hold on your life. “The Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I went in bitterness and turmoil, but the Lord’s hold on me was strong“ (3:14). Notice Ezekiel did not say that he went in joy and peace but rather bitterness and turmoil. God allowed Ezekiel’s heart to break at the things that were breaking His heart. The road ahead of Ezekiel would not be an easy one but neither would God leave him alone to face what He was calling him to do, just as He will not leave you alone.

If Ezekiel resisted God’s call and disobeyed, people would die. That is a lot of pressure. Those of us who have been called by God to work in the prolife pregnancy center ministry face this kind of pressure every day. If we resist God’s call or refuse to speak the words His Spirit gives us to say, babies will die. If any of us give in to our fear and to the lies of the enemy, God’s children might not hear the message of salvation. We do not know for sure if there will be another opportunity for them to hear that Jesus died for their sins, that there is forgiveness and hope in their future if only they will repent and make Him Lord. They might not listen but God is calling us to obey him regardless of the response of His people.

Are we ready to accept God’s call? When He places His Word in front of us and tells us to eat, will we find the time to consume his words and let them sink deep into our heart, listening carefully to what He has to say to us? Do you feel the hand of the Lord on your life? His hold on you is strong – Do not resist.

After reading 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles, then listening to the prophets through whom God spoke to His people, it puts new context to the book of Lamentations. Using poetry, the author of Lamentations mourns the loss of what Jerusalem used to be. He weeps over the conditions of those who have been left behind as they starve behind the walls that were built to protect them. It would have been better for them to be captured and exiled than to remain there to watch what Jerusalem had become and to watch her children begging for food.

The Lord in his anger has cast a dark shadow over beautiful Jerusalem.
The fairest of Israel’s cities lies in the dust, thrown down form the heights of heaven.
In his day of anger, the Lord has shown no mercy even to his Temple…

I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken.
My spirit is poured out in agony as I see the desperate plight of my people.
Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets.
They cry out to their mothers, “We need food and drink!”
Their lives ebb away in the streets like the life of a warrior wounded in battle.
They gasp for life as they collapse in their mothers’ arms. – Lamentations 2:1,9-12

“And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers” (Lam. 3:8). Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever gone through a time when you wondered if God was even listening anymore? “Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” (3:18).

As we read through the grief expressed in the book of Lamentations, many of us can relate to a time when we were hurting over a loss of some kind. Perhaps you are in the midst of your grief right now. I watched a friend sing over her sick baby as she took her last breath. I held a friend as she collapsed in grief when her husband told her he was leaving. I have wiped the tears of my own girls as we told them we were moving again. I have cried with families as they surrounded a loved one whose battle with cancer was coming to an end. I have watched nurses tell pregnant women that a heartbeat cannot be found…

We have all experienced loss and grief in our lives and we have all watched others around us suffer. But in the midst of utter sorrow, we have also experienced the mercy of our wonderful Lord and Savior. When grief threatens to overwhelm us, God steps in and we experience a moment of hope. We serve a God who is faithful and never abandons us, even if it feels like that at times.

“I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’
The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.
So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord” (Lam. 3:20-26)

I do not know everything that is going on in the lives of those who will share my morning coffee with me but I know that this is what God wants someone to hear today. There is one who is not looking back at a time of loss in their life but who is in the midst of their grief right now or who continues to seek healing or rescue. My prayer is that God will use these verses to give you hope and remind you that He is faithful.

For NO ONE is abandoned by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love…
Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins?
Instead, let us test and examine our ways.
Let us turn back to the Lord.
Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say,
“We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us…”
My tears flow endlessly; they will not stop until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees.
My heart is breaking…
But I call on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit.
You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!”
Yes, you came when I called; you told me, “Do not fear” (Lam. 3:31-32,39-42,49-51a,55-57).

Sometimes our present suffering seems more real than the hope of our salvation – the possibility that God will step in and rescue us from our pain. Remember God loves you. Hold on to the fact that God is faithful. If you seek Him, you will find Him. If you pray to Him, you will be heard. If you cry out to Him, He will hold you. God has not abandoned you. He is with you.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand…
For I hold you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.
I am the Lord, your Redeemer.
I am the Holy One of Israel.’” – Isaiah 41:10,13-14

A big part of Jeremiah’s message to the people of Judah – both those already in exile as well as though still fighting or not yet taken into captivity – was that there was hope for the future. God had promised He would bring them back to their land in 70 years. Jeremiah wanted the people to know they could trust God and that this return to Jerusalem someday was possible because nothing was too difficult for God. What a great message for me to hear today and to enjoy in my morning coffee.

God told Jeremiah to buy a piece of land that his cousin was going to ask him to purchase from him. He wanted Jeremiah to do this in order to show the people that he trusted God and fully believed the promised land would once again be theirs. As you can imagine, for anyone to purchase land at this point in the battle would appear very foolish yet what Jeremiah was doing was making an investment in the future that God was promising – that’s how much he trusted his God! Do we trust God that much?

“O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and the earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!…
You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles…
You performed miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt – things still remembered to this day! And you continued to do great miracles in Israel and all around the world. You have made your name famous to this day. You brought Israel out of Egypt with might signs and wonders, with a strong hand and powerful arm, and with overwhelming terror. You gave the people of Israel this land that you had promised their ancestors long before – a land flowing with milk and honey.

Our ancestors came and conquered it and lived in it, but they refused to obey you or follow your word. They have not done anything you commanded. That is why you have sent this terrible disaster upon them. See how the siege ramps have been built against the city walls! Through war, famine, and disease, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will conquer it. Everything has happened just as you said. AND YET, O Sovereign Lord, you have told me to buy the field – paying good money for it before these witnesses – even though the city will soon be handed over to the Babylonians” (Jeremiah 32:17-25).

This sounds like a conversation we might have with God at times, pointing out to God how ridiculous it is that He would ask us to do ______________________when we are in the midst of ___________________ (fill in the blanks). Yet God calls us to trust in His promises, just as He wanted Jeremiah to show his trust in God.

Then the message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” – Jeremiah 32:26

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. – Hebrews 10:23

And this is what God was promising His people at this time as they were gathering everything they could from within the city of Jerusalem to strengthen the walls against the siege ramps, trying hard to fight the Babylonians and resist captivity:

“Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellions. Then this city will bring me joy, glory and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them” (Jer. 33:6-9).

What battle are you fighting right now that you need to hear God’s promises that He will heal…restore…rebuild…cleanse…and forgive?
Enter into the presence of your God and trust that nothing is too hard for Him!

What might God be asking you to do today to show you trust Him, regardless of the circumstances in your life?
Enter into the presence of your God and listen closely with a heart willing to obey.

What is your answer to God when He asks you, “Is anything too hard for me?”
Enter into the presence of your God and seek the answer to that question.

By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, the let us go right into presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him (Heb. 10:20-22a).

“I will be their God and they will be my people” (Exodus 6:7).

These are the powerful words of God when He made a covenant with His people – the promise to hold onto as God sent Moses to Pharoah with the command to let His people go. It is interesting that God uses these words again through the prophet Jeremiah as His people are once more entering captivity. He reminds them that, just as He rescued them from Egypt, He has plans to deliver them from the exile they are beginning in Babylon.

We may read right over those words without thinking much of them, but to the people of Judah, “I will be their God and they will be my people” meant something. It reminded them that God had once rescued them and made a covenant with them on Mt. Sinai – a covenant written on stone tablets that required them to obey ten commandments as a way of remaining faithful to God, the first of which they broke over and over again – “You must not have any other god before me” (Exodus 20:3).

“The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will NOT be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves a wife,” says the Lord. “But this is the NEW COVENANT I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people…And I will forgive them their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

This new covenant would not be written on stone tablets, it would be written on their hearts. The old covenant required obedience and faithfulness to the God who met with their leader on the mountain while they stayed at a distance. The new covenant would be deep within each individual child of God, written on their hearts as each one had the opportunity to experience a personal God living within them.

What a God of restoration we serve!!! God’s people were experiencing the fury of God while He equipped Babylon to destroy Jerusalem and take His people captive for 70 years. Yet, in the midst of this sentencing, God was expressing love and promising to bring them home again starting over with a new covenant that would draw them closer to Him instead of pushing them away – a covenant that would last forever!

“They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. And I will make an EVERLASTING COVENANT with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land” (Jer. 32:38-41).

These words of God are repeated in Hebrews 8:8-12 and explained in Hebrews 9 & 10, helping us understand that the new covenant was put in place when Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins. But first let’s look at Romans 8:3, “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”

Hebrews 9:1 and verses 6-8 explain why the temple and its traditions had to be destroyed as Jeremiah prophesied: That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth…When these things were in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.

With the old covenant, God’s people were not given access to freely enter His presence as we are given now. Because Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins by the power of the eternal Spirit, He mediates a new covenant with God as he appears before God on our behalf. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him (Heb. 10:20-22a).

So here I am today, enjoying my morning coffee in the presence of a God I can trust and it all goes back to the time we have studied as we read through 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, as well as the books of the prophets and now the book of Jeremiah. The fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple Solomon built led the way to a new and everlasting covenant through the death of the perfect sacrifice – Jesus Christ.

This covenant is written on my heart and I have been given one heart and one purpose: to worship God forever! He has placed a desire in my heart to worship him and I will never leave Him! I will find joy in doing good for Him because He finds joy in doing good for me. I will serve Him faithfully and wholeheartedly because I serve a faithful and wholehearted God! I will go right into His presence with a sincere heart, fully trusting Him.

“Is not Israel still my son, my darling child?” says the Lord. “I often have to punish him, BUT I STILL LOVE HIM. That’s why I long for him and surely will have mercy on him. Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Mark well the path by which you came. Come back again…” (Jeremiah 31:20-21).

I think these verses sum up the prophecies of the book of Jeremiah. It’s a difficult book to read. It’s hard to hear chapter after chapter of the painful consequences God’s people suffered due to their sin and unfaithfulness. But there are several chapters here in the middle of Jeremiah that speak of God’s love and His mercy – of hope for the future of God’s people.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). This is one of my favorite verses – one of my life verses. Taking this verse and studying the context of the time in which it was originally spoken does not take away from its meaning but rather enhances how we can apply this verse to our lives.

God’s people have been unfaithful generation after generation and He has handed them over to the King of Babylon as a consequence of their sin. After bringing them into the promised land after 40 years of wandering in the desert and then dwelling among them in the beautiful temple Solomon built, God is taking away His gift and sending them into exile for a period of 70 years as a punishment for their sins.

At the time this letter in Chapter 29 is being written, the attack on Judah and Jerusalem has been going on for years. Thousands of the Israelites have already been captured and exiled to Babylon while Jeremiah is imprisoned in the heart of Jerusalem while the attack on the city continues. After years of proclaiming the message of painful consequences, now God has a message of hope for His people. God wants them to know He loves them and that their time of pain and suffering will not last forever – that He has a plan to bring them back, a plan to bless their lives once again.

Let’s read through these verses of hope and allow God to speak to our hearts. To get the full message, I encourage you to read through Jeremiahs 29-31. I have pulled a few verses and phrases that spoke to my heart this morning. I pray that as you read them the Spirit will fill you with today’s message God has for you.

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce…Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper…”
This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise TO BRING YOU BACK to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity…” (29:5,7,10-14a, NIV).

“I will restore…For I will bring you home again…For I am with you and will save you…I will give you back your health and heal your wounds…There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving and I will multiply my people, not diminish them…You will be my people and I will be your God” (30:3,10,11,17,19,22, NLT).

I love this part! Even in the midst of suffering, God promises His people that they will find blessings:
“Those who survive the coming destruction will find blessings even in the barren land, for I will give rest to the people of Israel…
I HAVE LOVED YOU, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. I WILL REBUILD YOU, my virgin Israel. You will be happy again and dance merrily with your tambourines…Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care….
The Lord, who scattered his people, will gather them and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock…Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone…
I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing…
Do not weep any longer…
There is hope for your future,” says the Lord…”For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing” (31:2-4,9-10, 12-13, 16-17, 25, NLT).

“There is hope for your future.” This is the message that we speak to the men and women who come to the Pregnancy Resource Center. There are often natural consequences to our sin, to a life of doing what we want to do instead of following God’s plan for our lives. But God’s plan does not go away – when we seek Him with our whole hearts, we will find Him! Even in the midst of suffering the results of our sin, God will be with us and we will see His blessings in our lives. He will restore us and bring us joy.

It’s time to stop resisting God’s plan for our lives. If you seek Him, He will be found and there will be HOPE for your future.

Have you ever gone through a difficult time or a time of persecution and wondered why God was allowing difficult times in your life? Have you ever suffered physical pain or disease or watched a loved one struggle with cancer and wonder why God does not heal all of His faithful children?

Jeremiah was called by God to proclaim to the people of Judah their future destruction and captivity. Although intimidated by God’s call on his life, Jeremiah was obedient and listened to God, passing on each message the Lord gave him. Yet as we read through the book of Jeremiah, we see that life was not easy for him. We can imagine that his message was less than popular for it was extremely harsh. For example, listen to these words of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah:

“For I will upset the careful plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will allow the people to be slaughtered by invading armies, and I will leave their dead bodies as food for the vultures and wild animals. I will reduce Jerusalem to ruins, making it a monument to their stupidity. All who pass by will be astonished and will gasp at the destruction they see there. I will set to it that your enemies lay siege to the city until all the food is gone. Then those trapped inside will eat their own sons and daughters and friends. They will be driven to utter despair” (Jeremiah 19:7-9).

As you can imagine, Jeremiah’s message did not get a resounding “Amen” or “Preach it, brother!” Instead he was persecuted, plotted against, arrested, mocked, flogged, whipped, put it stocks and placed on trial. When Jerusalem was attacked, Jeremiah’s life was in danger as well. When the people of Judah were led into exile, Jeremiah was also taken captive.

Listen to these words of Jeremiah and God’s response to His faithful servant.

Jeremiah: “What sorrow is mine, my mother. Oh, that I had died at birth! I am hated everywhere I go.”
God: “I will take care of you, Jeremiah.” (15:10-11)
Jeremiah: “Lord, you know what’s happening to me. Please step in and help me…I bear your name…Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry.”
God: “I am with you to protect you and rescue you…I will certainly keep you safe…I will rescue you…” (15:15-21)
Jeremiah: “Lord, you are my strength and fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble!” (16:19)
God: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (17:7-8)
Jeremiah: “O Lord, if you heal me, I will truly be healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone!” (17:14)

We know from other Scriptures that sometimes God’s children go through times of suffering, even when they are following God’s will for their lives. Consider Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:4-5: In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.

So, if following God does not guarantee us a life of peace, why do we continue to serve Him? Consider Paul’s words again in 2 Timothy 2:10-12a: So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him.

Yes, and everyone who wants to life a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Tim. 3:12)

But also consider our reward: God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12).

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while (1 Peter 1:6).
…Be very glad – for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world (1 Peter 4:13).

I am going to stir a second helping of the words of God to Jeremiah into my morning coffee and choose to be glad no matter what the circumstances: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (17:7-8)

Two years after Habakkuk started prophesying, King Josiah made his first reform attempt with the people of Judah. The obedience of one man in allowing God to use him was having an impact on this young king and, in turn, on the entire nation. One year later, God called another man to make an impact on His people – He called Jeremiah.

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out my plans.” – Jeremiah 1:5-12

To fully understand God’s plans to punish His people and allow for their coming captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem, we need to read the book of Jeremiah and the words God spoke to him as he warned the people of what was to come and why it was happening. Let’s look at the heartbreak of our God as He describes the unfaithfulness of the people He has blessed generation after generation and consider how His words apply today:

“I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness…And when I brought you into a fruitful land to enjoy its bounty and goodness, you defiled my land and corrupted the possession I had promised you…My people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols! The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,” says the Lord. “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me – the fountain of living water and they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!…My people have forgotten me” (2:1,7, 11b-13, 32b).

Out of His great mercy, God gave Israel the opportunity to repent through the message spoken to Jeremiah. He told them to do the following: Acknowledge your guilt, admit that you rebelled, confess that you refused to listen to my voice, return home and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. “I would love to treat you as my own children! I want nothing more than to give you this beautiful land – the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me” (3:12-15,19).

Surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord…cleanse your heart that you may be saved. “My people are foolish and do not know me,” says the Lord. “They are stupid children who have no understanding. They are clever enough at doing wrong, but they have no idea how to do right!”
…I hear a cry, like that of a woman in labor, the groans of a woman giving birth to her first child. It is beautiful Jerusalem gasping for breath and crying out, “Help! I’m being murdered!” (4:4,14,22,31).

“I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set. But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’” (5:22b-24).

This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’ I posted watchmen over you who said, ‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’ But you replied, ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’” (6:16-17).

“This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’ But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward…They have stubbornly followed their own desires.” (7:23-24; 9:14).

This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (9:23-24)

Lord, help us this morning to truly know you and understand the depth of your unfailing love demonstrated for us day after day. May we be eager to please you today, drinking only from your fountain of living water instead of depending on our own cracked cisterns to sustain us. Lord, do a work in our hearts today deepening our understanding. We long to shed any pride and self-reliance, living in awe of you who brings rain into our lives so that you might reap a harvest of righteousness. We long for you to use us so that our lives can have an impact on the nation in which we live, just as you used Jeremiah. Father God, help us to hear your voice only as we stand at the next crossroads. Give us wisdom from you and place your words in our mouths. Amen.

Approximately five years after Zephaniah starting prophesying to God’s people, God called Habakkuk to do the same. As we read the book of Habakkuk, we are listening in on a conversation between the prophet and his God. He dares to ask God tough questions – Why does God allow injustice? Does He even care? Why does He tolerate evil? Is God really in control?

God saw the honest heart of the prophet and took time to give him answers – answers that show our God is sovereign!

How long, O Lord, must I call for help?
But you do not listen!
“Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save.
Must I forever see these evil deeds?
Why must I watch all this misery?
Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence.
I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.
The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts.
The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted. – Habakkuk 1:2-4

Have you ever prayed a similar prayer? I definitely have. The news can be so discouraging and I ask God where He is in all of it. I foolishly ask Him to see all of the sorrow and injustice, as if He isn’t already looking. I tell Him my heart is breaking, as if His heart isn’t even more broken than mine. I ask Him where He is and if He is listening, as if God doesn’t see all and know all and love more than I am capable of.

“Look around at the nations; look and be amazed!
For I AM DOING SOMETHING in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” – Habakkuk 1:5

God’s answer: Look around! There is evidence of my movement all around! I am never without a plan. Don’t try to fix the world around you of your own strength – trust in ME. Look for ME and seek MY plan. Be willing to do what I ask you, instead of depending on yourself. Be a part of MY plan instead of forcing your own.

Habakkuk was struggling with God’s plan. God was using the growing strength of the Babylonian nation to punish His people. The Babylonians were taking over much of the region, including Ninevah and the Assyrian nation. This idolatrous nation was growing in power and pressing in on the nation of Judah. With a sincere heart, Habakkuk made his struggles known to God and asked God again for answers.

“O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal – surely you do not plan to wipe up out?
O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins.
But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery?
Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they?
Are we only fish to be caught and killed? Are we only sea creatures that have no leader?
Must we be strung up on their hooks and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate?
Then they will worship their nets and burn incense in front of them.
‘These nets are the gods who have made us rich!’
Will you let them get away with this forever?
Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?
I will climb up on my watchtower and stand at my guardpost.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.” – Habakkuk 1:12-2:1

God’s answer: My judgment may seem slow in coming but wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Those they are taking captive will one day taunt and mock them as they get what they deserve (2:3,6). “For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.” – Habakkuk 2:14

Habakkuk responds in song, praising God and praying for mercy for God’s people. Let’s use his song in Habakkuk 3 as we lift our voices to our Sovereign Lord this morning:

Lord, we have heard all about you and we are filled with awe by your amazing works.
In our time of deepest need, help us again just as you have in years past.
In your anger, remember your mercy.

We see YOU moving!!!
Your brilliant splendor fills the heavens and the earth is filled with your praise.
Your coming is as brilliant as the sunrise.
Rays of light flash from your hands, where your awesome power is hidden.
You are the Eternal One!

Was it in anger that you struck the rivers and parted the sea?
Were you displeased with them?
No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!
Lord, may your action save us and save our nation instead of destroying us for our sins.
Oh God, we trust in you!

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines;
Even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren;
Even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty,
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights (3:17-19). Amen.