February 8 ~ Jeremiah 32:17-25
LORD God, you stretched out your mighty arm and made the sky and the earth. You can do anything. You show kindness for a thousand generations, but you also punish people for the sins of their parents. You are the LORD All-Powerful. With great wisdom you make plans, and with your great power you do all the mighty things you planned. Nothing we do is hidden from your eyes, and you reward or punish us as we deserve. You are famous because you worked miracles in Egypt, and you are still working them in Israel and in the rest of the world as well. You terrified the Egyptians with your miracles, and you reached out your mighty arm and rescued your people Israel from Egypt. Then you gave Israel this land rich with milk and honey, just as you had promised our ancestors.
But when our ancestors took over the land, they did not obey you. And now you have punished Israel with disaster. Jerusalem is under attack, and we suffer from hunger and disease. The Babylonians have already built dirt ramps up to the city walls, and you can see that Jerusalem will be captured just as you said.
So why did you tell me to get some witnesses and buy a field with my silver, when Jerusalem is about to be captured by the Babylonians?
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
Have you ever known someone who seemed to “get by with murder?” They never appeared to get caught – or to be punished when they did. And then, one day, something happened that was not “fixable.” Maybe they broke the law and their parents said, “We can’t get you out of this one.” Their mistakes and mis-steps caught up with them, and they had to “do the time,” so to speak for whatever they had done. Or maybe drinking and driving caught up with them and they had a terrible accident. Or maybe their dishonesty and deceit finally ended their relationship with a dear friend or loved one – and/or damaged their reputation.
As Christians, it may seem like God lets us get by with things for a while, and then one day, the world comes crashing down around us. And sometimes, when things seem their darkest, God gives us an inner sense of hope… an inexplicable feeling that we can ride out this storm and things will once again be good for us. This is how a person who goes to prison can have hope for a future “on the outside” once his/her sentence is completed. This is how someone who has lost a loved one or suffered a broken relationship can believe that joy can return. This is how you can lose your job and everything you own and be confident you will find new employment and rebuild your life.
God knows that His children make mistakes. And sometimes He has to allow us to wallow in them for awhile. Or sometimes, He allows hardship and struggle to come to faithful Christians to strengthen their trust and confidence in His ability to work in and through them. But when God shows you how to “buy a field with silver” – to have hope and courage even in the middle of a crisis – He is preparing you for blessings and renewal. He is saying, “Hang on… help is on the way. Walk through this valley, and prepare for blessings on the other side.”
Our job is to pay attention when God tells us to “get ready.” We must trust Him in hard times AND good times. We must accept our challenges and work through them with confidence and faith that He will be waiting on the other end to bless us. This is very much a leap of blind faith, but that’s what God demands. Hang in there… stay close to God and trust Him to redirect you when you get off track… and to bless you for your obedience.
©2009 Debbie Robus
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