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In Christ, Mark
In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
This is what the Lord says:
“Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost of the
nations. Make your praises heard, and say, ‘Lord, save your people, the remnant
of Israel.’ See, I will bring them from the land of the north and gather them
from the ends of the earth. Among them will be the blind and the lame, expectant
mothers and women in labor; a great throng will return. They will come with
weeping; they will pray as I bring them back. I will lead them beside streams
of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I am Israel’s
father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.”
“Hear the word of the Lord, you nations; proclaim it in
distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel will gather them and will watch
over his flock like a shepherd.’ For the Lord will deliver Jacob and redeem
them from the hand of those stronger than they. They will come and shout for
joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—the
grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds. They
will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more. Then young
women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their
mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy instead of sorrow. I
will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my
bounty,” declares the Lord.
Jeremiah 31:7-14
This ends today’s reading
from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
In part one of this two part devotional series, we looked at
what God’s people, in Old Testament times and today, could expect to have when
He is with them. He proclaimed that He was their God and they were His people
who would have His favor, rest, everlasting love, kindness, restoration,
rejoicing, and harvest because of it.
But that wasn’t all as we will add to the list in part two.
First, look again at these words of the Lord:
This
is what the Lord says:
“Sing with joy for
Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say,
‘Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I will bring them from
the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the earth. Among them
will be the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great
throng will return. They will come with weeping; they will pray as I bring them
back. I will lead them beside streams of water on a level path where they will
not stumble, because I am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.”
“Hear the word of the
Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel
will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’ For the Lord
will deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they. They
will come and shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the
bounty of the Lord—the grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the
flocks and herds. They will be like a well-watered garden, and they will sorrow
no more. Then young women will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I
will turn their mourning into gladness; I will give them comfort and joy
instead of sorrow. I will satisfy the priests with abundance, and my people
will be filled with my bounty,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 31:7-14
Did you pick out the additional things God’s people have to
gain because He is with them?
Check what you found against the following:
1. His people will have joy.
“Sing with joy for
Jacob; shout for the foremost of the nations.”
“They will come and
shout for joy on the heights of Zion; they will rejoice in the bounty of the Lord—the
grain, the new wine and the olive oil, the young of the flocks and herds.”
“Then young women
will dance and be glad, young men and old as well. I will turn their mourning
into gladness.”
The people of Israel would experience freedom from their
captivity, liberated from God’s consequences and allowed to return home. This
would bring them great joy and rejoicing, a joy and rejoicing they would put on
display through song and dancing. Where there was once mourning, now the
Israelites would have happiness.
Today, we should be giving thanks for each day God grants us
and begin each day in gladness.
2. His people would find themselves in a spirit of praise.
“Make your praises
heard, and say, ‘Lord, save your people, the remnant of Israel.’ See, I will
bring them from the land of the north and gather them from the ends of the
earth.”
When we fully understand that God is not only with us but
for us, we can’t help but be in a spirit of praise and thanksgiving as we
consider all He has done, all He is doing, and consider all He is yet to do. It
doesn’t matter what era we might be in or what our circumstances might be. God
is always there in the good and bad times.
3. His people would be allowed to return without
discrimination.
“Among them will be
the blind and the lame, expectant mothers and women in labor; a great throng
will return.”
The Lord didn’t limit who would be able to return from exile
and who wouldn’t. Note that the blind, lame, women who were pregnant, and those
soon to deliver would be a part of the great throng who would be permitted to
return.
Today, the Lord places no barriers on whom He cares for and
who He doesn’t. He is the God of all, loving and receiving people where they
are in life, afflicted or otherwise.
4. His people would be led to repent and pray again.
“They will come with
weeping; they will pray as I bring them back.”
There is no doubt that experiencing God’s deliverance would
be emotional for God’s people. They would run the gamut of feelings from
elation to anxiety to guilt for how they had wronged God so badly and been
punished for doing so. All this would bring people back to prayer and communicating
to the God who was with them, a God who would hear and answer their prayers of
thanksgiving, petition, and confession.
What a comfort it is to know that we can still pray as the
Old Testament Israelites did and know the same God who heard and answered their
prayers is hearing and answering ours.
5. His people would once again have a shepherd.
“I will lead them
beside streams of water on a level path where they will not stumble, because I
am Israel’s father, and Ephraim is my firstborn son.”
“Hear the word of the
Lord, you nations; proclaim it in distant coastlands: ‘He who scattered Israel
will gather them and will watch over his flock like a shepherd.’”
The journey back to their homeland would not be a difficult
one for God’s people because He would make the way clear for them, leading them
beside streams of water to refresh them and the animals traveling with them
while walking on a level path where they would be safe from stumbling and
falling. Once again, God would be watching over His flock like a shepherd.
As we turn to the Lord here in the 21st century, we need to
trust that He is still our Good Shepherd, ready to lead and guide us along the
still waters of life on a level path where we can serve Him in safety and with
a bold confidence because we know He is with us.
6. His people would experience redemption.
“For the Lord will
deliver Jacob and redeem them from the hand of those stronger than they.”
I’m sure the Israelites of Jeremiah’s time were very
familiar with their heritage. They would know that their ancestors who were
held and oppressed by the Egyptians were delivered by God and led to the land
He promised them. They would know that God had delivered their ancestors
countless times from enemies who tried to attack them, keeping them safe and in
His care. And so when God was in the midst of delivering the Israelites from
their Babylonian captivity, His actions were just a continuation of what He had
done before for God was, is, and will always be a God of redemption, delivering
us from our sin and death through His one and only Son, Jesus.
7. His people would be cared for and comforted.
“They will be like a
well-watered garden, and they will sorrow no more.”
“I will give them
comfort and joy instead of sorrow.”
The imagery in God’s words is beautiful. Just as a well
watered garden results in plants that thrive and flourish, so too would the
people of Israel thrive and flourish upon returning home, free from the sorrows
of captivity and free to live and love and learn again.
Those who choose to place their full hope and trust in the
Lord today will have a similar experience. For when we allow the Lord to come
into our hearts, minds, and souls, the garden of our lives will bloom, fed by
the living water flowing from God, the Master Gardener.
8. His people would find satisfaction.
“I will satisfy the
priests with abundance, and my people will be filled with my bounty,” declares
the Lord.”
As the people of God would return to their homeland to
rebuild their homes, their lives, and their relationship with God, they wouldn’t
do so in empty-handed or in need. Rather, God promised to satisfy them,
providing them an abundance and bounty.
When we enter into a relationship with God as He intends us
to, we are always left satisfied for He meets our needs and never leaves us
unfulfilled. Such is His nature as He blessed us with so very much while we are
with Him like:
Joy and praise, equality and conviction which leads to
prayer and confession, leadership and redemption, care and comfort and
satisfaction.
Do you have a relationship with this God, the one and only
God of all today?
If not, I hope you have seen in yesterday’s devotion and
today’s that you are missing out on a lot but it’s not too late for you to get
in on the greatest experience you will ever have in this worldly life, a
relationship with a God who wants to be with you and wants you to be with Him.
All you need to do is place your faith, hope, and trust in
Him today.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.
Send any prayer requests to OurChristianWalk@aol.com
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