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.

Reflections on Jeremiah 17:7-8

7  But Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. 8 He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream.  It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green.  It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.    ---   Jeremiah 17: 7- 8, NIV



Lord, your word is just slowly taking hold in my heart.  I can feeling it sinking in.  I can feel the blessing and the warning.  Help us to trust you to take care of the details and provision for our relocation into the town that we are called to.  Give us discernment to know when it is you, and when it is not of you.
Help us to trust you in the knowledge that :

A) your plan for us doesn't stop halfway through.
B) you will equip us for this enormous work before us.
C) no matter what happens, no matter who hates what we are trying to do, no matter ANYTHING, you are STILL GOD.
D) You ARE PREPARING the perfect place for us to live for the next part of our life. It may not be a dream, but it will be exactly what we need.
E) You will provide.

Let us be in your word continually that when the heat (attacks, and times of testing) come, our leaves will still be green.  Help us to bear fruit even during times when everything is going wrong.  Help us to stand, unafraid, knowing that we are right where you want us to be.

Thank you, Lord.

----

It is so overwhelming to know that the God who created the UNIVERSE, also decided BEFORE time began, not only that there would be a ME.... that there would be a Stephen, and a Jonathan entrusted to me.  And not only that I would be a mother, but that I would be a wife....  a helpmeet.  The one chosen by God to help my husband become the man (and future pastor) that he will be.

I am not up to the task.
I am impatient, and forgetful....
I am selfish and bossy.

But I am not alone.  And I am not my own.

(Thank you, Lord.)

As one who used to scoff at Christians, and Christianity, I hated the hypocrisy that I saw.  A life that was built on FAITH seemed ridiculous.  Science was right. Science was true.  (I was a product of public school education, without the grounding of the faith I now have.)

As one who has experienced RADICAL life change, and the REAL and TRUE Love of my Savior, Jesus Christ, I cannot imagine trying to live this life without Him.

I am in awe of the sinful girl/woman/child that I used to be.... that my sins, and my pain, and my shame were nailed to the cross, through the hands and feet of the one that saved me.  I wish for everyone to know this peace that I have found.  My heart pours forth praises, all of the time.  I have to STOP myself from praying/rejoicing in your name out loud in front of my students sometimes.

Thank you for the cross.
I hope that I only fall deeper and deeper in love with you in the weeks leading to Easter.

And now the song that has been ringing in my mind this whole post....

Hosanna, by Starfield