Jeremiah 31:25-28 - For
I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing." At this, I woke up and looked around. My sleep
had been very sweet. "The time will come," says the LORD, "when
I will greatly increase the population and multiply the number of cattle here
in Israel and Judah. In the past I
uprooted and tore down this nation. I overthrew it, destroyed it, and brought
disaster upon it. But in the future I will plant it and build it up," says
the LORD.
Jeremiah had been sleeping… or perhaps it was just a short
trance….a quick vision. God had given
him a picture of restoration….a time of building up all that he had used to discipline
his people. He woke with such a sweet
feeling in his spirit…he felt renewed…unbothered by all the craziness that God
had allowed in his life. He could feel the hope in his soul that God was
bringing someday to the land.
He listened as God described the time when all would realize
that God is the only hope. He listened as God described how all people would
have a chance to come to know him and be a part of his remnant of believers. He
listened as God renewed his promise of everlasting love…no matter what it took
to accomplish it.
God described the coming of his son…the Messiah…who would
give his life for the sins of the world. He described the time when all would
have an opportunity to love and know him personally through the love of his
son. He described a time when all people
would have an opportunity to feel the hope that Jeremiah felt.
There is just one thing. God’s hope cannot be felt by our
heart until we grasp the truth that we are sinners and need to repent of every
sin in our life. God’s hope is reserved for those that have promised to give
their lives to God…and try to follow his perfect will with all their heart and
all their soul…and all their mind.
It is then that God begins the long process tearing down all
the habits and hurts and habits that WE used to live our lives. He slowly…and sometimes painfully …removes
the bad. Then he replaces it with all the things that we need to find and do
his perfect will. He adds in a dose of his perfect peace…a bit of patience…and
overdoses us with joy and restoration. It is then that even when he needs to
remove something else from our lives…that we accept it…even if we haven’t gotten
to the point that we understand.
What a great reminder that God has so much more planned for
us than we could ever imagine. We just have to trust his decisions…his timing…and
his soft voice as he gives us directions.
We have to accept the process of transformation….and just let God do
what he needs to do to make us into who HE needs us to be.
Father…thank you for the reminder that I am only as good as
I let you make me. Forgive me for the
times that I have whined and complained and asked way too many questions…with
way too much of an accusation tone of voice. Thank you for not letting that
stop you from chasing after me…and helping me see that it is my sin that holds
me back from finding your restoration and joy. Help me to accept and trust the
work you do in my life each day that is trying to get me where you need me to
be. Help me listen and trust you more and more each moment to restore and give
me the greatest joy…a joy that even my brain can’t imagine. Amen.
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