Monday 31 October – Jeremiah 31
The Father’s Heart
Can you hear God’s Father heart as you read this chapter? If not, read it again and listen for how much He loves these people! He doesn’t want to see them go through the impending devastation – He’s looking forward to the good bit when He brings them back to their land and watches over them as they rebuild it and know Him as their God again.
See how God refers to Himself as a father – with his firstborn son (vv. 9b, 20); a shepherd watching over his flock (v.10b); a gardener watering (v.12) and planting (v.27) his plants. These are all images of a God who deeply loves and cares for His people. Again, listen for God’s heart – He loves these people, and He feels the same about you! Have you heard Him telling you recently how much He loves you? If not, listen…….
God is longing for His people once again to be His people. His heart yearns for their relationship to be restored – in fact He promises that it will go deeper! His people won’t just know about Him, they will know Him (v.34).
We are the privileged ones – we live under the new covenant Jeremiah talks of (v.31). Jesus has opened the way to a whole new type of relationship with God. We don’t have to have priests to teach us about God or make sacrifices for us. Jesus was the once-and-for- all sacrifice! The Holy Spirit writes God’s word on our hearts (but only if we read it!!) (vv.33,34) and we can know God and walk in an intimate relationship with Him, as the Song of Solomon reminds us.
Do you really know God, or do you just know about Him? Have you heard Him call, “Arise my darling, my beautiful one and come with me”? (Song of Songs 2:10) Have you listened for Him singing over you? (Zeph. 3:17)
Prayer:
Difficult as it may be, stop, and take time to listen to God’s heart for you! Hear Him say ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love. I have drawn you with cords of loving-kindness’ (v.3) What else is He saying?
Don’t skip over this bit!!
Respond to His love for you in whatever way feels appropriate for you. (e.g. If you have a sudden urge to dance, do it!)
* Pray for other members of your cell, that together you will hear God’s heart for you as individuals and as a group.
Sunday 30 October – Jeremiah 30
Don’t Give up Hope!
This chapter is the start of a long message of hope (ch.30-33). Jeremiah has been bringing a hard message to God’s people, preparing them for the fact that they will be conquered by Babylon and exiled from their land. There have been short references to it previously, but here Jeremiah brings a sustained message of eventual restoration for God’s people. Despite everything they’ve done, God cannot give up on them – He will bring them to a place of thanksgiving and rejoicing (v.19).
The truth behind this passage is that no matter how much His people have rejected Him, God doesn’t just punish them and walk away – He always has restoration in mind.
The exciting thing is that we now live under a new covenant – Jesus has taken the punishment for us. The Jews had no-one to plead their cause (v.13), but we have Jesus, our advocate, who stands between us and God and covers over our sin. Hallelujah! We can come into God’s presence as though we’d never sinned. It’s awesome!!
But ‘rules is rules’! There are times in our lives when, although our sin is covered, we still face discipline (v.11). God will not undo the consequences of our sinful actions – but He wants us to see these times of discipline as positive, as stepping stones towards becoming more like Jesus. We are reminded that He disciplines us because He loves us as His children (Heb.12:5-11; Rev.3:19).
So, instead of feeling sorry for yourself, or beating yourself up, choose to thank the Lord that He loves you enough to shape you. He doesn’t want ‘spoilt brats’ for children! Work with Him, ask Him to show you what He wants you to change or learn and move on, rejoicing that you’ve grown one step closer to Him!
Prayer:
Are you going through a tough time? Ask the Lord to show you what He wants you to learn. Repent of anything He shows you.
Thank the Lord that He loves you enough not to let you get away with things, but that He disciplines you.
* Pray for anyone in your cell, or wider family, who is facing tough times. Stand in the gap for them and pray that they will grow through this experience.
Saturday 29 October – Jeremiah 29
A Hope and a Future
No doubt as you read yet another chapter of this often difficult book, you were delighted to come across the familiar words of v.11, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”. We often use this verse to encourage one another, but maybe you have wondered whether they really apply to you? It is good to look at them in the context of this chapter because it tells us a great deal about God’s character and His heart towards each one of us.
Did you notice to whom these words are addressed? The very people God has just had to punish for their sins against Him! Incredibly, in spite of their rejection of Him, their stiff-necked arrogance and rebellion against His laws, God still wanted to bless them! He was still planning a good future for them. If you read on to vv.12-14, you will discover that what God was looking for was an intimate relationship with them. He wanted to gather them up as His family around Him and pour out blessings on them.
You will have noticed as you read on in this chapter, that some people were not going to enter this future because they continued to speak against God and try and stir up others to rebellion (e.g. Ahab and Zedekiah – vv.21-23, and Shemaiah – vv.24-31). However, God’s offer was open to all who were willing to turn away from their past sins and start listening for, and obeying, His voice (vv.5-13).
Because God’s character has not changed one little bit we can be absolutely certain that these words apply to us too. No matter what you have done in the past, God wants to have a relationship with you and bless you. He may allow you to go through hard times to discipline you, but that does not mean He does not love you. Indeed, it means that He loves you so much and has such a desire for you to know His blessings that He is doing what is necessary to bring that about in your life. So dare to believe it – God wants to have a relationship with you, He has good plans for you and He wants to pour His blessings into your life.
Prayer:
* Praise and thank God for His amazing everlasting love.
* Thank God that He has a plan and a purpose for your life, and ask Him to help you hear and obey His voice so that you can enter into all that He has for you.
* Pray for your fellow cell members that they will understand the love and the purposes God has for them.
Friday 28 October – Jeremiah 28
Hananiah Confronted
In this chapter we read of a public confrontation between Jeremiah and the false prophet Hananiah, who claims that God is going to break the yoke of Babylon and that the king and those who have been taken into exile will return to Judah within two years.
Jeremiah does not directly contradict the prophecy. He merely points out that time will tell who is the true prophet, when the words they have spoken come to pass. It is interesting that Jeremiah does not seek to defend himself against Hananiah’s implication that he has been misleading people by giving false words from God. I am sure I would have jumped in and argued the point, but Jeremiah merely went away and prayed about it. Only when he has heard from the Lord does Jeremiah visit the false prophet, tell him he is wrong and proclaim God’s judgement on Hananiah. Hananiah was guilty of misusing the name of God and attaching it to messages that came out of his own thinking, and by so doing he has put himself under the wrath of God. Within two months he was dead! It is important that when we bring a prophetic word we submit it to others with humility, recognising that we could be wrong in what we say. Using God’s name in vain is serious.
What about false prophets today? There is much in the New Testament to remind us to be on our guard. For instance 2 Peter 2:1-3 says, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed. By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber”.
We need to be watchful and discerning when people come among us claiming to be prophets. We need to check what they say against Scripture, and we need to observe their lifestyle. We have the gift of spiritual discernment available to us to recognise those who are truly sent by God.
Prayer:
*Thank God for the boldness and humility of those who have strengthened you through the prophetic ministry. Pray for anyone you know who is recognised as a true prophet of God.
* Ask God to give you prophetic words to encourage others and build up the body of Christ.
Thursday 27 October – Jeremiah 27
You Can’t Use a Donkey!
How many times do we hear people saying “How on earth could they have chosen him? He’s completely unsuitable / hopeless / useless /unqualified.” But God doesn’t think like that. In this chapter we see Jeremiah, in obedience to God’s Word, resorting to the visual aid of bonds and yokes to spell out to Judah the fact that God could, and would, use even a heathen country like Babylon to bring His people to repentance. By his act and his words Jeremiah spelled out that Babylon would place them in bondage, Babylon would act on God’s behalf and Babylon would be God’s chosen implement of judgement. Jeremiah was fighting against a number of false prophets, prophets who were looking after their own short-term welfare by telling the king and the people what they wanted to hear. But it’s when the going gets difficult that we all need proper friends who will tell us the truth.
As with the Israelites, so God is always seeking our attention because we so easily lose our concentration. Our thoughts sometimes stray away from Him, and we get diverted to worldly pastimes and values. God uses any method He can to get us back! In Numbers chapter 22 we read the story of how God spoke to Balaam the seer through his donkey! We are reminded again that God can use unlikely people, donkeys, and even nations who do not serve Him, to work out His purposes.
We might feel that we are unlikely instruments for God to use, inadequate, even useless. But throughout the whole story of God’s interaction with His people as it unfolds in the Old and New Testaments, we see a God who knows us better than we know ourselves and who is ready and willing to put his trust in “ordinary” people. Are you ready to be a donkey for God?
Prayer:
* Give praise to God, who will stop at nothing to restore you to a loving and eternal relationship with Himself.
* Pray for those you know who are suffering doubt about their relationship with God, that God will use a “donkey” to bring encouragement and a path to restoration.
Wednesday 26 October – Jeremiah 26
The Hard Life of the Prophet
It’s very tempting to opt for the quiet life – to arrange things so that there are few stresses and strains in our week, so that we can put on our slippers when we come in from work and settle down to an evening of TV. We long for a nice, secure job with a good pension at the end. We like our creature comforts and feel that we deserve the good things of life.
But those of us who accept the calling of Jesus will soon realise that authentic Christian life can never be like that. And it was the same for Jeremiah too. He had a calling on his life from a very early age, to a lifestyle that was confrontational, that made him many enemies, and threatened his life on more than one occasion. Here in this chapter we read of another threat on his life.
Once more Jeremiah hears from the Lord, and in obedience he stands before the priests and prophets of Judah with the stark message: “Repent from your wicked ways, or face the consequences – calamity and desolation, the country a curse to all the nations of the earth”. He was seized and threatened with death for speaking hard, though truthful, words. When brought before the princes and the people, Jeremiah remained truthful to his calling and to God’s Word. His very boldness may have saved his life. The authorities decided not to kill him but to spare him because of his passion for God, the power in his words and his close walk with God.
Do you have a passion for God and the things of His kingdom? Is following Jesus the motivation for all you do and say? If so, then your life will probably not be easy. It will be exciting, fulfilling, liberating, challenging, tiring sometimes and even dangerous. But easy, no!
“They will fight against you, but they will not prevail against you. For I am with you” says the Lord, “to deliver you” (Jer.1:19).
Prayer:
* Dear Lord, make me more like Jeremiah. Give me an increased passion to share your Word, to live my life Your way, to speak words of salvation into the lives of those I meet and know. Help me to be bold for You.
* Pray for Ruwach Christian Church, that we would not be half-hearted but would be known, and respected, for our passion for God.
Tuesday 25 October – Jeremiah 25
God’s Power and Judgement
Have you ever been the subject of idle threats? Have you been tempted to make them yourself sometimes? In my work as a school librarian I sometimes have to warn pupils about their poor behaviour and perhaps threaten them with expulsion from the library if their behaviour doesn’t improve! But they are not daft, and they would soon learn not to take any notice if they knew I was not prepared to carry out my threat! They know that after one warning, the next time they will be out!
In this chapter we see God dealing so patiently with a wayward people. Jeremiah tells them that for 23 years (v.3) he has spoken to them, “rising early and speaking to them” but they haven’t listened. Moreover, other prophets from God have come with the same message, and they were ignored too. The message was clear and unambiguous: to repent of their evil ways, to abandon their false idols and to stop doing wrong.
But in the end God’s patience was exhausted and Jeremiah was given the task of informing them of the consequence – 70 years of exile in Babylon, with Judah reduced to a land of desolation – which would astonish those who saw it (v.11). More than this, God would also, at the end of the seventy years, punish Babylon itself – that mighty empire – so that it became “a perpetual desolation”.
God was not making idle threats – everything that was prophesied came to pass. What a reminder of God’s awesome power and judgement! So what more can we do than turn with thanks and praise today to a God who is more than capable of looking after those who follow Him and want to live their lives to His glory?
Prayer:
* Spend some time in praise and worship to a God who is both ever-loving and ever-powerful.
* Pray for our nation, and for mankind, that people will increasingly see God for all that He is, and come to know Him for themselves through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Monday 24 October – Jeremiah 24
Good Figs and Bad Figs
The events of this chapter happened in 597 BC when King Jehoiachin was taken into exile in Babylon and Zedekiah became King of Judah. The parable of the two baskets of figs was given to Jeremiah as a prophecy of what would happen to two groups of people. The good figs were a representation of those taken away into Babylon; good, not because the people themselves were good, but because they would respond to God and, being preserved by Him, would eventually return to Judah.
On the other hand, the bad figs represented those who stayed in Judah under King Zedekiah, many of whom later ran away into Egypt. Despite being the select few who remained in Judah, they missed out on God’s blessing. He used the exile into Babylon to teach His people to recommit themselves to Him. In fact, although they were held captive there, they were not slaves but were able to live their lives in comparative freedom. Daniel and others were even able to hold a high position in the land despite being Israelites.
It is easy to think that times when life appears to be going well are times of blessing, and that times of hardship are something of a curse. But times of trouble, or even times of persecution, can turn out to be times of blessing, times of strengthening which build up our faith (see 1 Peter 1:3-9). On the other hand, we can and should use the times when things are going well to be a blessing to others and to bring His kingdom to those around us.
Where are you at the moment? Are you rejoicing in your situation? That may be difficult, but we know we have a God we can trust, who is ever faithful and who loves us so much that whatever situation we find ourselves in, we can be sure that He will supply our needs and strengthen us to cope with our worldly difficulties. If you are rejoicing in your blessings, then don’t keep them to yourself but draw alongside those who are struggling and encourage and support them.
Prayer:
* Listen to God to hear what He is saying to you. Is he directing you to someone who this very day needs your support? Or is He saying “stick in there! – for the blessings will follow”? Praise Him for His love, grace and power!
Sunday 23 October – Jeremiah 23
Hope Springs Eternal
We live in an age when bad things seem to happen to good people, where examples of man’s inhumanity to man are set before us through the media every day, and where new philosophies for a “successful” life are freely available to pick and choose as the mood takes us.
This is nothing new. Jeremiah’s experience was exactly the same. He lived in a society where despotic kings ruled over downtrodden people, where people chased after new religions and idols and where false prophets told kings and people what they wanted to hear rather than the truth of their dire situation. In this chapter Jeremiah brings God’s word to bear on this confused situation, bringing on the one hand a word of hope, and on the other a word of judgement.
Verses 5 and 6 were exciting for those who had ears ready to hear and hearts ready to respond. They talk of a coming Messiah, a perfect King descended from David, to reign over Israel. We see Jesus described in this prophetic word. Godly men and women would have been encouraged by Jeremiah’s word from God. They were suffering from the profanities of both false prophets and priests (v.11) as well as from harsh rulers. But there was hope, the hope of the coming Messiah, and the hope that God would put right the wrongs that were being done to God’s chosen people by those who were supposed to be God’s servants.
It is so much easier for us to understand the nature of God and His plans for each of our lives than it was for the Israelites. We have Jesus – who reflects God’s exact character and restores us to a new relationship with Him. Our understanding of God is not mediated by an imperfect priesthood, through false prophets and sinful leaders. We can rejoice in that fact and have hope for the future because of Jesus Christ, the Messiah whom Jeremiah foretold.
Prayer:
* Thank God for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, to deal with man’s sinfulness, to restore your relationship with Him and to provide hope for the future.
* Pray for the celebrations at church today as we rejoice in Jesus, our Saviour.
* Pray for those you know who, because of their personal circumstances, are struggling with their daily lives. Ask God to show you how to minister into their lives, to show them the love God has for them.
Saturday 22 October – Jeremiah 22
A Choice
This chapter returns to an earlier time in Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry. Here we see him addressing the sons of King Josiah. Unlike their father, none of the sons were godly kings of Judah. Jehoahaz, Jehoakim and Coniah (also known as Jehoiachin) were all evil men, only out for themselves, having turned their backs on God. As a result, the Almighty and Holy God sent Jeremiah to them with a plain message: turn from your wicked ways, do good, not evil (vv.2-4) – or face God’s judgement (v.5)!
God gives Jeremiah the words to spell out the nature of the judgement (vv.6-10). But God does not just give a general warning; through Jeremiah He speaks specifically to each king, setting out each man’s sinfulness and plainly warning of the consequences of their disobedience,
You see, God desires a relationship with each one of us individually. He doesn’t see us as numbers, or lump us together as a group. He sees you and me just as we are, warts and all. He sees our sinfulness – and He knows our potential. He knew that potential from before we were even born – He put it into us! In vv.2-4 God gave those sinful men the choice because He knew that they had the ability within them to be godly kings if they chose to walk with Him. In the same way, He knows every one of us has a great potential for good and for love within us, but He gives us free will too and we have to make a choice.
So in the end, despite all our “circumstances”, we always have the freedom to choose between good or ill, between a life with God or a life without God. And that is a daily choice. Do you need to re-dedicate yourself and your lifestyle to God today? Has the day already started badly? Why not take this opportunity to rededicate the day (and your whole life!) to God.
Prayer:
* Thank God for His love for you, the tenderness He has for you and His longing for you to have a daily, close Father-child relationship with Him.
* Pray for the strength to be a constant disciple of Jesus Christ, following Him as your Lord, having a personal relationship with Him, not just living under a set of religious principles.
* Pray for anyone you know who has made a choice that is taking them further away from God, that they will reconsider and turn back to Him before it is too late.