Devotions

Jeremiah was young, only about 20 years old, when God gave him a prophetic calling. He entered into that calling like many of us do in our youth, not really knowing what the years ahead would hold. All he knew is that he had a relationship with God. He had surrendered his life to the Lord. He was saying, “Not my will, but your will be done.” He was going to serve in the role of a prophet.

Today is very different, at least from what I can tell. I know there are true prophets still, but a lot of the prophets I see today are all about “Lights, camera, action!” They have jokes; they can prophecy, and things don't come to pass. Not even a notable percentage of their prophecies come to pass, and they just make light of it and move on.

By contrast, Jeremiah had a soberness in his message. He had a reality to him because God's truth weighed so heavily upon him. Jeremiah had to bear under the knowledge that God was setting the nation on a course of either choosing God or rejecting God.

The Lord tells Jeremiah, “For my people have committed two evils: They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13, NKJV). God looked at the whole of society, and he boiled down all of society’s issues to two evils. First, they had forsaken God, the fountain of living waters; and second, they had made broken cisterns that could hold no water, basically trying to replace God’s presence with their own resources.

How much we need to hear this today. There are so many voices with social media and the internet. We've got global news 24/7. It's always at our fingertips. You can be overwhelmed by looking at all the facts and all the features of our society and trying to figure out what’s going wrong. God narrows it down for Jeremiah, and he is narrowing it down for us today.

God is saying to us today that there are two evils in this world: We have forsaken God, and we have put ourselves in place of God, trying to sustain ourselves. We must reject these two lies if we want to set our nation on a course of choosing God.

I have a message for those who are experiencing a painful, overwhelming situation. I am not speaking to those who now enjoy a time of rest from suffering, who are not in any kind of pain or sorrow. Thank God for those times of quiet rest.

I receive so many letters from precious followers of Jesus who are living with incredible inner sorrow and crisis situations: divorce, children on drugs or in jail, the death of a spouse. A woman who is so in love with the Lord grieves over the death of three of her children who all suffocated in a fire. A pastor grieves for his wife who left him and their children for a lesbian lover. It goes on and on as so many godly people are burdened with grief and pain.

I have a message for you who live with pain. In the psalms, David cried, “For innumerable evils have surrounded me…. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!” (Psalm 40:12-13, NKJV), and “Let all those who seek you rejoice and be glad in you… But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinks upon me; you are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God” (Psalm 40:16-17).

I have been so blessed and comforted by this one line: “The Lord thinks upon me.”  Imagine that. The Lord God who created all things, the God of this universe, is thinking about me.

Even at this very hour, his thoughts are about you in your hour of need.

When Israel was captive in Babylon, mourning over the loss of homes and families, God sent word to them through his prophet: “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” (Jeremiah 29:11). God said to his people, “Your nightmare is going to end. I have only good, loving thoughts toward you, and if you seek me with all your heart, you will find me” (see Jeremiah 29:11-13).

God is not mad at you. Saintly people do get afflicted, so do not waver in your trust in him. In times of stress and feelings of loneliness and regrets, go to prayer. Pour your heart out to the Lord. He is thinking of you, and he is at work for you.

After reading Psalm 13, I wanted to send you a few words of encouragement that I gleaned from this blessed chapter.

King David penned, “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily?” (Psalm 13:1-2, NKJV). It sounds as if David felt that God had altogether left him to suffer, to wake up each day with a black cloud hanging over him. For a season, David spoke out of despair, “God, will this feeling of isolation go on forever? When will my prayers be answered?”

When troubles assail us, we sink under the pressure. Right now, someone reading these words is sinking under the awful pressure of a situation that seems to be unsolvable. They are on the verge of total despair, hoping for even the briefest break from their trial. They have formed one plan after another, trying to devise ways out of their trouble, but all those arrangements have failed. Now they have nothing else to think of, no workable solution. They are at the end of it all.

How upsetting it is to see a ray of hope, a bit of sunshine but then have despair once again set in. Keep in mind, David experienced the same struggles, and he was a man after God’s heart. David testified of having great trust in the Lord, yet he went through hard times too, as he describes in this psalm.

How did David arise from this pit of despair?  “But I have trusted in your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me” (Psalm 13:5-6).

Let me share with you reasons to keep trusting God through your present trials. What kind of Father would feed all the creatures of the earth and yet neglect his children?  Jesus exhorted us to “give no thought” to everyday needs and problems, “for he cares for you” (see Matthew 6:25-34). Truly, the Lord loves you, and he will not turn a deaf ear to your cries. Hold on to his promises. Wait on him patiently. He will never fail you.

Somebody reading this needs a touch from Jesus. When the Lord ministered here on earth, he went about healing and restoring the afflicted by simply touching them.  When Jesus touched Peter’s mother-in-law, her fever left her body (see Luke 4:38-40). He touched the casket of a dead child, and the boy came to life. He touched the eyes of blind people, and they could see. He touched the ear of a deaf man who could then hear. Multitudes brought their sick and infirm, and Jesus took the time to reach out and touch them all, healing them “Then little children were brought to him that he might put his hands on them and pray” (Matthew 19:13, NKJV). Christ’s gentle touch changed everything.

If you truly know the Lord intimately, you have felt the touch of Jesus’ hand. In times of loneliness, discouragement, confusion and pain, you cried out from the depth of your soul, “Lord Jesus, I need your touch. I need to feel your presence. Come, Jesus, and touch my thirsting soul.”

Some need a touch of Jesus upon their mind. Satan has come with his wicked principalities to harass and overburden the mind with thoughts that are hellish, unbelieving, un-Christlike, fearful, thoughts of unworthiness, thoughts of God’s displeasure. Honest believers will tell you they have experienced these attacks on their mind. Satan is determined to destroy our faith and dependence on the Lord.

In scripture, the touch of Jesus came in answer to a cry. There is no evidence that he ever ignored or rejected such a cry. He will not turn away from you but will mercifully respond to your need. In the gospels, we read “Behold, a leper came and worshiped him, saying, ‘Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.’ Then Jesus put out his hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed” (Matthew 8:2-3).

Find a place alone with Jesus today and say to him what the leper said, “Lord, you are able. Make me clean.” Expect that he who is no respecter of persons will touch and heal you in mind, body, soul and spirit. The arm of the Lord is outstretched to you, but he waits for that cry for help that is also a cry of expectancy.

The Holy Spirit prompted me to read Exodus 12, which contains the account of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.

On the door of every Israelite home, the blood of a lamb was put on the two side-posts and lintel. This was to protect God’s people from the passing angel of death. When the day came, a multitude of Israelites marched out of captivity, about 600,000 men plus women and children. “…It came to pass that all the armies of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:41, NKJV).

In the next chapter, I stopped at the verse which reads, “Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out of this place” (Exodus 13:3). God’s people were delivered by the Lord’s strength alone!

David declares, “God is my strength and power, and he makes my way perfect…. He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me; for they were too strong for me…. As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; he is a shield to all who trust in him” (2 Samuel 22:33,17-18, 31).

Our faith and strength may grow weak, but in our times of weakness, God has given us marvelous promises to renew and strengthen us.

• • “Those who stumbled are girded with strength” (1 Samuel 2:4).

• • “The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace” (Psalm 29:11).

• • “The God of Israel is he who gives strength and power to his people. Blessed be God!” (Psalm 68:35).

• • “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; do not forsake me when my strength fails… I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of your righteousness, of yours only” (Psalm 71:9,16).

Beloved, do you believe our God is strong? If he is strong, no power can stand before him. Therefore, commit everything into his mighty hand of strength and power. He will make a way. Most of all, believe this word: “In the day when I cried out, you answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul” (Psalm 138:3).

God love and bless you.