I Will Be Your God
Read: Jeremiah 30:18-24 I will restore the fortunes of the tents of Jacob. (v. 18) In the first half of Jeremiah, God threatened judgment; in the second half, he promised restoration. The judgment was concrete: in 587 BC, God sent his rebellious people into exile. The restoration was abstract, and consisted of three future actions: […]
Hope and a Future
Read: Jeremiah 29:10-14 I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD. (v. 11) Jeremiah 29:11 is one of the most-quoted verses of the Hebrew Bible. There is something universally comforting about God’s promise of “hope and a future” (NIV). But the verses surrounding it are no less powerful. God opened with a […]
Rooted in Love
Read: Jeremiah 29:1-9 Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. (v. 7 NIV) When my family and I first moved into our church’s parsonage, we had to get over the sense that this house wasn’t our house. A church member urged us to hang pictures. A […]
A God Nearby
Read: Jeremiah 23:23-24 Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? (v. 23) The first Toy Story movie begins with a crisis. Woody, a toy cowboy, experiences a fate worse than death: separation from his beloved owner, Andy. When he realizes his predicament, Woody cries in despair, “I’m […]
The Righteous Branch
Read: Jeremiah 22:1-5 Behold, the days are coming . . . when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch. (v. 5) Last fall I cut down a tree that had grown up in a corner of my yard. This spring, to my surprise, I saw small green shoots growing out of what I […]
Ruin or Redemption?
Read: Jeremiah 22:1-5 Do what is just and right. (v. 3 NIV) In Jeremiah 21, God denied a king’s cry for help. God refused because his people had refused his past offers of help. They had trusted alliances with pagan neighbors instead of trusting God. God would use these very alliances to ruin Jerusalem. But […]
What Are You Asking God to Save?
Read: Jeremiah 21:1-10 Behold, I set before you the way of life and the way of death. (v. 8) In an episode of the television show Justified, a petty criminal finds himself on the wrong side of a criminal gang that employs him. In desperation, he asks Jesus for help. The problem is that he […]
Deceived or Saved?
Read: Jeremiah 20:7-13 Praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy. (v. 13) In a 2011 stand-up routine, comedian Mike Birbiglia said, “To be a comedian you have to go on stage those first few years and bomb. If it weren’t for denial, you would just think, ‘Human beings don’t like […]
In the Potter’s Hands
Read: Jeremiah 18:1-11 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words. (v. 2) Clay is a complex medium. One careless movement of the potter’s hand renders the vessel under formation unsightly or worthless. Clay is also very forgiving. Of course if the vessel becomes deformed, it […]