Honest Reflections on Jeremiah 29. Part II. You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart. (vs. 13) What an amazing promise that the eternal, sovereign Maker and Lord over all creation gives to us! How wonderful is it, that God does not keep Himself hidden from us nor distance Himself far from us? How precious is it, that God invites us to come and know Him, even draw near Him? How incredible is it, that even though He is so much higher than us, though He is outside of time and is not defined by physical parameters since He is Spirit, He comes close to us, so we can have genuine fellowship with Him! As a reversal of the curse, and how God said previously to Jeremiah to not even pray to Him on behalf of the people of Judah for He would not hear his prayers, the LORD now promises to hear them and answer them, after the time of their punishment is up. He will once again set His face in love toward them and hear their prayers. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you (vs. 12). What a gracious reminder, that Gods mercies are new every morning! Great is His faithfulness (Lam 3:22-23). Though the day may be long and filled with its own challenges and hardship, and though the night may be pitch black and you feel like you are all alone, might we rejoice in knowing His mercies begin anew with each morning! Even King David recognized this truth and rejoiced in it! Sing praises to the LORD, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy name. For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning (Ps 30:4-5). The LORD reassures Jeremiah and the people of Judah of His redeeming love, and His future plans to restore His people, according to His covenant faithfulness. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you, declares the LORD, and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile (vs. 14) Note: God does not have to do this, but because of His own mercy and His own grace, He perserves His people rather than totally wipe them off the face of the earth. Arent you glad, then, for His mercy and grace, that showers us with His tender care and many blessings, that we dont deserve? To know God in this way, as One who has invited us to seek Him with all our heart and we will find Him, ought to cause our hearts to overflow with adoration and gratefulness toward God. Praise God, that He doesnt leave us in the dark, on our own, left to our own intuition and resources, to figure Him and life out. Rather, God has revealed Himself to us through creation, our conscious, the Bible, His Son, Jesus, and even through the Holy Spirit. And this revelation is not meant for us to know God from the distance, as a spectator watching the sports game, or as a break glass in case of emergency God, but to know God up close and personal, to know Him intimately, even as He knows us in that way, and to walk with Him daily. This invitation is for every critic, every skeptic, every person who recognizes something is missing in their life, and yet they are not totally sure that the God of the Bible is their answer. Just seek Him with all your heart, spend time hearing from Him in His Word, ask Him to open your eyes to the truths of His Word, and you will find Him! Might we share this incredible news with those around us, who dont yet know God. And might we pray for them, asking God to take off the scales of sin from the eyes of their heart, so they can turn to Him through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus once gave a similar invitation, in which He promised to give the eternal rest that our souls are searching for, for those who come to Him and take His yoke upon them. Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light (Mt 11:28 - 30). Indeed, the invitation is for the salvation of our souls that one obtains in becoming one of His disciples. For He took on Himself the heavy burden of our guilt and nailed it to the cross, so that those who embrace Him with repentance and faith as our only Lord and Savior, will no longer carry that heavy burden. Instead, we will take on new life and forgivness, the liberation our soul has been searching for all along, which only Christ Jesus can provide. Moreover, that seperation between us and God due to our sins, will be no more, for we will at last be near to God by the blood of Christ. Truly, those who seek for God in Christ, they will find Him, and oh the overwhelming joy they will find in doing so! Question. Are you content with how much you know of God, or do you hunger and thirst to know Him more? Are you asking Him daily to open your eyes to the realities of His Word, so you may draw nearer to Him? Are you thankful for Jesus, and that through Him you can draw near to the throne of God with all confidence, so you may find mercy in times of trouble? Do you know the rest that only Jesus can offer your soul, and are you daily coming to Him for that rest? Prayer. Father, thank you that you brought me to Your Son, Jesus Christ, the answer to all my searching. Thank you for revealing Yourself to Me, and saved me from my wandering aimlessly in my own sin, without any hope to save mysellf. Great are You and worthy of all praise. Pleae keep Your servant from ever taking for granted this precious gift to know you and be known by you. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 18 Nov 2013 15:46:15 +0000
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