Running Toward God in Troubled Times

 Scripture:

“But you, O LORD, reign forever; your throne endures from generation to generation. Why do you keep on forgetting us? Why do you forsake us so long? Bring us back to yourself, O LORD, so that we may return to you; renew our life as in days before,” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬-‭21‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

In the midst of lamenting over the deportation of Israel and Judah, Jeremiah takes another look at God and reminds himself who God is. He reminds himself during his trouble that God reigns forever. He does reveal his disappointment in that fact that God seems to have abandoned them. Finally, he asks God to bring His people back to Him for renewal back to how things were. He prophesied 70 years, but during that 70 years, he wanted God to turn things around.

Application:

When things are not going the way we want them to, we must remember that God reigns forever and that our seasons will change. Even when we feel like God has forsaken us or abandoned us, we can know that He hasn’t. He still has a plan. It just may not be according to our timing. It is according to His timing. All we can do during difficult times is to turn to God and not away. The answer is always found in running toward God, even when we feel disappointed by Him.

Prayer:

Lord, I look to You. You are the source and the strength of my life. Help me to keep my eyes on You through whatever comes against me or whatever happens to me. Teach me to walk with You, not complaining, but realizing that You are God and You are in control. Help me to be boldly confident in my walk with You.

Forever Yours,

Jeff

New Every Morning

 Scripture:

“The LORD’s loyal kindness never ceases; his compassions never end. They are fresh every morning; your faithfulness is abundant!” ‭‭Lamentations‬ ‭3‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

It is believed that Jeremiah wrote Lamentations. It comes right after Jeremiah in the Bible. In Jeremiah, he prophesied that Babylon would overtake Judah and they would be captive for 70 years. At the end of Jeremiah, it happened. Lamentations is lamenting over what happened in Jerusalem and Judah. In the midst of lamenting over what had happened, Jeremiah writes these words, “The LORD’s loyal kindness never ceases; his compassions never end. They are fresh every morning; your faithfulness is abundant.”

Application:

After lamenting for a while because things haven’t worked out like we wanted them to in our lives, we must remember that God is still good and that his mercies are new every morning because His faithfulness is great. In the middle of difficult and trying times, we must remind ourselves that God is still good and He still has a plan for our lives. Every day we can say, His mercies are new every morning because great is His faithfulness.

Prayer:

Father, You are incredible! I love serving You and walking with You. You are my source and my strength. You are my everything. Thank You for the honor of serving You and Your people. Help me to see Your mercies every morning, even when things are not going the way I wanted them to go. Help me to know deep in my heart that God has everything under control and that You are good!

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Deepen My Understanding

 Scripture:

“I pray that the faith you share with us may deepen your understanding of every blessing that belongs to you in Christ.” ‭‭Philemon‬ ‭1‬:‭6‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Paul writes to Philemon and tells him that he is praying that his faith will deepen his understanding of every blessing that belongs to him in Christ. There are blessings in following Christ that we may not even understand at this point in our walk. 

Application:

As for me, I want to understand every blessing that belongs to me in Jesus Christ. I don’t want to leave anything that belongs to me on the table. I want to know Christ like Paul, in the fellowship of His suffering and in the power of His resurrection. I want my understanding deepened of every blessing Christ has for me.

Prayer:

Father, open the eyes of my understanding to be able to see all that Christ has accomplished for me. Help me to walk in understanding and to leave nothing on the table that Christ died to give us. I want to serve You well in my generation and to know Your heart, mind, and will at all times. Teach me to follow You well. Deepen my understanding of spiritual things.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

God’s Always Plans a Turnaround

 Scripture:

““You descendants of Jacob, my servants, do not be afraid; do not be terrified, people of Israel. For I will rescue you and your descendants from the faraway lands where you are captives. The descendants of Jacob will return to their land and enjoy peace. They will be secure and no one will terrify them.” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭46‬:‭27‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

God had just spoken through Jeremiah about the destruction of His people and His powerful discipline of them for following other gods. He was telling them how bad things would be for them because of their disobedience, then He comes through with this verse and the following one saying not to be terrified because He would rescue them in the future and bring them back home where they would have peace and security, and no one would terrify them.

Application:

Even in God’s discipline and frustration with His people, He always has a plan to turn it around and bless them. He just needs them to repent and turn to Him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. In our lives, we mess up and may even endure some of God’s discipline, but we can rest assured that when we repent and run to Him, He will make a way for us. When we respond to Him, He always answers. When we return to Him, He is faithful to return to us. 

Prayer:

Father, I don’t ever want to endure Your discipline, but when I mess up, help me to quickly repent and turn to You with all my heart. Teach me to humble myself before You. I don’t want to miss out on one thing You have planned for my life. Help me to live fully surrendered to You at all times. Guide me. Lead me. Direct and ordain my steps. I want to live in Your blessing all the days of my life and accomplish all You have for me!

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Obedience When it is Difficult

 Scripture:

“We will obey what the LORD our God to whom we are sending you tells us to do. It does not matter whether we like what he tells us or not. We will obey what he tells us to do so that things will go well for us.”” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭42‬:‭6‬ ‭NET‬‬

Observation:

Judah was being overtaken by Babylon and they asked Jeremiah to go hear the word of the Lord. They said, “We will obey what the LORD our God to whom we are sending you tells us to do… we will obey.” Jeremiah went to the LORD and got a word from God. The Lord told him to tell them that they should stay in the land and He would protect them from the Babylonians. They promised to do whatever the LORD spoke, until the LORD spoke. They decided to go to Egypt rather than obey the voice of the LORD. 

Application:

It’s easy to say, “LORD, I will do whatever You ask me to do. I’ll go where You want me to go and live how You want me to live.” These are wonderful promises we make to God, but God looks for action, not intent. He wants to know if we will really follow Him, or only if it is convenient. We constantly say things like, “God knows my heart” which is really an excuse not to put into action what God is speaking to us. Obedience needs to be our final voice. We speak with our actions. As for me, I want to do what the Lord speaks to me. I want to fulfill all that He has for me in my life. 

Prayer:

Father, help me not to be one who says one thing, but does another when times get tough. Help me to live for You completely and never surrender to the voices around me. Help me to walk in Your Spirit every moment of my life. Teach me Your ways and let me finish everything You have set apart for me to do. I am Yours.

Forever,

Jeff

Trust God

 Scripture:

“I will certainly save you. You will not fall victim to violence. You will escape with your life because you trust in me. I, the LORD, affirm it!”’”” ‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭39‬:‭18‬ ‭NET‬

Observation:

In this passage, God is speaking about Ebed Melech, an Ethiopian. It was a time of devastation for most, but this man was spared because he trusted in God. He wasn’t an Ethiopian, but one who trusted in God. Therefore, he was spared when judgement came. He escaped the same violence that killed  everyone else, why? Because he trusted God.

Application:

Trust and faith can be used almost interchangeably. When we have faith in God, and trust Him, He will make a way to protect us from every attack that comes against us. When we walk with Christ, we are covered from all attacks of the enemy. God honors faith. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. As we seek Him, He fights our battles. That’s a really good trade deal.

Prayer:

Father, May I always be a seeker of You and a seeker of truth. I want to know You more and more each day. Help me to walk with You faithfully and to follow Your voice completely. May my life accomplish everything You planned for it to accomplish. Teach me to yield completely to You. Let me represent You well on the earth in my generation. I want to make You known in all the earth.

Yours Forever,

Jeff

Real Struggles in Ministry

 Scripture:

' Why did I ever come forth from my mother’s womb? All I experience is trouble and grief, and I spend my days in shame.'  Jeremiah 20:18

Observation:

In this chapter, Jeremiah is wishing he had never been born. He says that God made him become a prophet and that he would really rather do something else. He says that he is tired of being ridiculed for being such a negative prophet and always speaking of destruction. By the end of the chapter, he says this verse. He is depressed and wishes he had never been born. He sees nothing but bad, trouble, grief, and shame.

Application:

It is good to realize that even some of God's most powerful and accurate prophets struggled with times of wanting to quit. The Bible is beautiful in that it doesn't hide these things or soften them. We can see how people really felt in the Scriptures. For my application, I must admit that there are times I feel like Jeremiah and wish I could have done something else. There are times when I struggle because things have not happened like I wanted them to. There are times when I struggle because I feel like I have failed as a leader because people aren't following. My application today is that when I feel like that, I realize that Jeremiah and other incredible people of God had their days of struggle as well. 

Prayer:

Father, thank You for making Your word real and honest about the lives of those in the pages. You didn't hide anything. You show us how they really felt. Thank You for being with me all the days of my life. Forgive me when I complain to You, and help me to remain faithful to all You ask of me. Help me keep a right perspective during times of trial and change. 

Yours Forever,
Jeff