By Toni Ford
During this month I have been reading through the Book of Jeremiah. Although I’ve read Jeremiah before, this time I’ve discovered so many what I call “valuable nuggets of truth” that I’m seeing of which I have not seen before. Some of those nuggets come from chapters 30 through 33. In 1928, Charles E. Jefferson wrote a book called Cardinal Ideas of Jeremiah. Here is an excerpt from that book, which serves as a great introduction to Jeremiah 30-33.
“A small man can see when it is growing dark….but he cannot see beyond the darkness. He does not know how to put a sunbeam into his picture. A great man pierces the darkness and sees the glory of a hidden dawn.”
This passage describes the man Jeremiah was willing to become – a great man who pierces through the darkest of times in order to see the glory of a hidden dawn. The messages God gave to Jeremiah allowed him to see not just in the natural but into the super-natural, seeing to the very end of times when Jesus regathers the Jewish people, returning them back to their land, Israel, and makes His final return to earth. Jeremiah 30-33 is the message of both the present and the future and describes the glory of the dawning of a new day for the people of Israel, not only for the exiles in Babylon but also for the Jewish people in the latter days before the Lord returns.
In these chapters, we see a beautiful picture of the love God demonstrated for the Jewish people – in the days of their captivity, in the days when He returns them back to their promised land and even in the days before His final return to earth. The amazing truth is that this same love is for ALL people, Jew and Gentile alike, which was made possible because of His death on the cross and His resurrection from the dead!
There are multiple truths (two of which I will share today) that stand out in these chapters, which I found to be great reminders of who God is in my life and where He has taken me on this journey with Him. I encourage each of you to take time and read Jeremiah 30-33 in its entirety. My prayer is that you would be encouraged as you read all the promises from God, knowing those same promises are still in effect for you and your life today!
Redemption: Our God is a God of New Beginnings (Jeremiah 30:1-24). In these verses, God explains that due to their sin, He cannot let them go unpunished, but He also will not completely destroy them. God is a Holy God, so there is discipline involved when we sin.
His love is greater than His discipline, however, and His heart is to always restore us back to Himself. Jeremiah 30:17 says, “I will give you back your health and heal your wounds, says the Lord.” Today, I thank God that He does discipline me, for I know and trust that it is for my greater good. At the same time, I praise and thank Him for “giving back” to me, so many blessings that I do not deserve. I declare and decree that this will be a year where God gives back too many their health and heals not only their physical wounds but their spiritual wounds.
Regeneration: Our God is a New Covenant God (Jeremiah 31:31-40). Jeremiah 31:33 says, “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord. I will put my instructions deep within them and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people.” If there was ever a time when we need the Word of God deep within our hearts, it is now! As we spend more and more time in His Word, our faith will begin to strengthen, and we will be able to walk with a greater confidence and trust knowing that we can stand on the promises of His Word!
Dear Lord, we give You the year ahead and ask You to make us more mindful of You. Thank You for Your faithfulness towards us all. May we seek You more, and may Your Word get deep in our souls this coming year.
If you would like me to join you in prayer please e-mail me at tonif77@gmail.com. I would love to pray for you!