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My name is Meredith, and I am the mother of two awesome boys; the wife of a fantastic husband; the band director for 100 students in grades 5 - 12 in a small community in Maine; and a follower of Christ. This blog is a place for me to reflect on what the Lord is teaching me.

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Reflections on Jeremiah 29 : 4 - 14


 4 This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. 6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. 7 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” 8 Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. 9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the LORD.
 10 This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity.[b] I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Jeremiah 29: 4 - 14



I think Jeremiah 29: 11 is one of the most remembered, most comforting and most quoted books verses of the Bible.  And why not?  Who DOESN'T need to be reminded that the Lord has PLANS for us?  And not just that he isn't surprised by the bad, indifferent or disappointing things that are happening, but that they are part of a plan for a HOPE and a FUTURE.

Seeing it for the first time in the context of His people, whom he allowed to be carried into exile, just rocked my world.  To the outsider it seemed like the game was over.  "This God--- he has rejected both of his chosen nations: Judah and Israel.  What kind of God is this?"   He allowed Nebuchadnezzar to rise to power that rivaled that of David and Solomon.  And then, he tells his people (that he allowed to completely exiled) to go -- live and be happy. And that after seventy years, He would come back for them.

It is such a beautiful picture of His steadfast, unfailing and unchanging love.  And now, the song that has been resonating in my mind and heart since reading those words in Jeremiah.   "Hallelujah (Your Love is Amazing)"






Father God,

I will never understand the depth of your love for us.
I will never understand how magnificent you are.
Just what I DO know is enough to take my breath away.
I am in awe of your majesty, and humbled, completely wrecked in spirit, by your love.

Thank you, My Savior.

I am undone.
I am a woman of unclean lips.
How can I show myself as set apart for you, if I continue to gripe about things, and complain about others?  I am unworthy....

But I am forgiven.

And I keep on trying... and I keep on trusting, and I keep calling on Your presence.

Your love IS amazing.

Amen.

1 comments:

The Farmer Files said...

I am so right there with you...on bridling the tongue. His grace is sufficient for me, that I should just be quiet, that I don't need to respond to the employee at Costco that made repeated comments about not being okay with being able to see my baby's diaper. It took all that I had not to respond and just laugh at him. His grace kept me quiet....not my nerve.

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