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Jeremiah 32 (ESV)
36 “Now therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It is given into the hand of the king of Babylon by sword, by famine, and by pestilence’: 37 Behold, I will gather them from all the countries to which I drove them in my anger and my wrath and in great indignation. I will bring them back to this place, and I will make them dwell in safety. 38 And they shall be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. 40 I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me. 41 I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul.
42 “For thus says the Lord: Just as I have brought all this great disaster upon this people, so I will bring upon them all the good that I promise them. 43 Fields shall be bought in this land of which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’ 44 Fields shall be bought for money, and deeds shall be signed and sealed and witnessed, in the land of Benjamin, in the places about Jerusalem, and in the cities of Judah, in the cities of the hill country, in the cities of the Shephelah, and in the cities of the Negeb; for I will restore their fortunes, declares the Lord.”
REFLECTION:
God’s purpose in allowing the Israelites to suffer disaster is to make them know God better and live a life that is pleasing to God, so that they can receive all the blessings that God has promised. Just as a stern and loving father spanks his own child in order to make the child have an upright and good character, so as to conform to the father’s good intentions and receive the father’s blessing, God will also use His righteous power to supervise and command His people to fulfilled His will, even if it means His people will suffer pain. Today, God also won’t let you do whatever you want to do, but will let you do what He wants, even if doing so will make you feel painful and difficult. We must realize that the meaning of trusting God is not in asking God to grant your wishes, but in taking God’s will in everything. Today, as God’s children, God also wants us to have “one heart and one way” (v39) and be focused on Him. We must understand that everything is done according to God’s will, and we should strive to love God more than anything else with all our heart.
PRAYER:
Pray for God to strengthen your soul so that you can concentrate on looking to God’s will in all the adversities of life. Pray to God for your current difficulties, not to ask God to get you out of trouble immediately, but to ask God to make you discern and perceive God’s will in troubles, so that you will have the confidence to act according to God’s will. Moreover, ask God to make all your plights an opportunity for your growth and a path to blessing.
HYMN:
You Will Be Done – youtu.be/thsu0VeXd7I
