The Promise (1)

"For thus says the Lord: after seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place." v10   

                                                                                                Jeremiah 29:10-14   NKJV

These particular Israelites, were in exile at Babylon and they were beginning to wonder if they would ever get a breakthrough and be allowed to return to their own land. These are the thoughts of many Christians today, 'Will we ever get the breakthrough that we need.' You may be in this position at this time and, although you trust God with your life, there doesn't appear to be anything happening that will bring you some encouragement.

The Lord gave Jeremiah a word and he wrote a letter to the exiles letting them know the promise that God was giving to them. '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.' v11. However, as encouraging as this letter was, they had many questions that required urgent answers. They knew it would be around seventy years before God would rescue them, but there were many more questions that would have needed answering. Think about your own situation and you will know, to a degree, what they were requiring answers for.

They had the promise that God would bring them back home; they roughly knew when, but their situation was still dire, and they wanted more. There was more. Jeremiah had stipulated this in his letter: 'Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you' v12. God had given them the key, and this was prayer. He was not telling them to wait seventy years and then call upon Him by prayer. He was encouraging them to get on their knees and call on Him now. And what's more, He had promised that He would listen to them; that He would hear their calls to Him and the promise included their well-being not disaster. 

God is doing the same thing with His people today. Prayer seems to be an after-thought with a lot of people. Life is so busy that there isn't time to go through the long process of praying things through. This brings to mind - prayer lives. What is your prayer life like? Are you faithful in prayer, patiently going through all the things that need to be prayed for and acting in a diligent manner? Or, are you, the pray as you drive the car person; the one who throws prayers up when they are needed but very rarely listens to what God has to say? You know the category you fit in to and you may need to re-think this through and re-arrange things.

Whatever, God made the exiles a promise and He has you too. You have a hope and a future.

You have peace and not evil to look forward to, perhaps this may promote you to offer up to God some praise, worship and prayer.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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