Joey's Journal - September 1, 2006

‘O Sovereign Lord! You have made the heavens and earth by your great power. Nothing is too hard for you!’ If we believe this, why do we not obey the Lord?

Part 1 of 2

Background :
Jeremiah’s message from the Lord was that the city of Judah as well as Jerusalem, will fall to the Babylonian army. King Zedekiah, king of Judah, upon hearing this prophecy, put Jeremiah in prison because of God’s message that the city will fall to the Babylonian army, its king will be taken to Babylon to be sentenced and any resistance to the Babylonians will never succeed. But, the King needed Jeremiah as he was God’s faithful messenger and maybe this prophesy will be reversed and had him imprisoned in the palace courtyard. In another message, God spoke to Jeremiah and was instructed to buy the land that he was entitled to. It was a costly purchase but he obeyed. God’s plan was for him to have title to the land before the siege of Babylon and when the Babylonians have been driven out of Israel, Jeremiah will have full and rightful ownership of this land again, just like God giving the Promise Land back to His Chosen People.

My Reading - Full text of Jeremiah’s Prayer ‘O Sovereign Lord! You have made the heavens and earth by your great power. Nothing is too hard for you! You are loving and kind to thousands, though children suffer for their parents’ sins. You are the great and powerful God, the Lord Almighty. You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles. You are very aware of the conduct of all people, and you reward them according to their deeds. You performed miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt – things still remembered till this day! And you have continued to do great miracles in Israel and all around the world. You have made your name very great, as it is today.

You brought Israel out of Egypt with mighty signs and wonders, with great power and overwhelming terror. You gave the people of Israel this land that you have 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 law. They have hardly done one thing you told them to! That is why you sent this terrible disaster upon them.

See how the siege ramps have been built against the city walls! Because of war, famine, and disease, the city has been handed over to the Babylonians, who will conquer it. Everything has happened just as you said it would. And yet, O Sovereign Lord, you have told me to buy the field – paying good money for it before these witnesses – even the city will soon belong to the Babylonians. (Jer 32:17-23)

My Reflection - Jeremiah’s prayer and bewilderment. He starts by saying that ‘nothing is hard for the Lord’. He had saved His chosen nation out of Egypt, brought them and blessed them to the Promised Land, but because of their disobedience and idolatry, God sent disaster after disaster on them and brought other nations ruling over them. Jeremiah asks God why the sons and daughters are suffering the wrath and anger of God because of their fathers’ disobedience. Also, he is puzzled why the Lord instructs him to buy land now while the city lay in siege and soon to be handed over to Babylonian rule, the purchase and transfer be witnessed by all and the title be hidden in a clay jar and to be exposed much later on. He says, ‘Babylon has laid siege to Judah and soon to fall under its rule yet the Lord instructs me to buy the land’.

In our Christian walk, when God speaks to our hearts, do we follow without questioning Him? Are we leaving everything in His control? Or, do we sometimes question Him and say, ‘is this good for me?’ or ‘would I benefit from this decision?’ We remember that because of Adam’s disobedience, we were detached from God and His Heavenly Kingdom. Thus, Jeremiah obeyed after realizing God was sending him a message, to buy the land even though the Babylonian army was ready to invade Judah. Would we do the same thing? Would we buy a property that will soon be devastated and ravaged under the rule of the enemy? Our human frailty will dictate otherwise. Oftentimes we only think of ourselves and only for our own benefit. We fail to obey the Word of God and more often than not, it results to a bad decision on our part. So, why don’t we start listening to God and obeying His Word which is always for our own good. We have a God who only does what is best for us because of His goodness to those who believe and trust Him.

My Prayer – Father in heaven, may I have complete trust in Your ways. May I leave the controls of my life to You. I know that You want to give the best for us, yet we still question whether it will benefit us or not. Lord Jesus, change my heart to fully put my life in Your Hands! Let me do Your Ways and try to live like You did, obeying the Father.

Lord, thank You for Your protection, provision and guidance for us and my loved ones. May they show their appreciation by living a life more close to You knowing that their lives are in Your hands, a perfect God. May each day bring all of us that special joy and assurance that You Father, are by our side as we live our lives daily. I commit my life to be more and more close to You. All these I pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

by : Joey B.