jeremiah 41-45

Todays Passage: http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=jeremiah%2041-15&version=NIV

Jeremiah 42:7 “At the end of ten days the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah.”

Finally, in chapter 42, the Judeans come to Jeremiah and they seem to have had a heart change. They ask Jeremiah to pray for a word from the Lord and they assure him that they are ready to be obedient – whether it is good or bad.

If I were Jeremiah, my heart would have leapt! This was what he had been yearning for! The disobedience of the Judeans had brought Jeremiah to tears and finally, they were ready to listen.
Those 10 days must have felt like eternity to our weeping prophet. I can’t help but wonder why those 10 days were necessary. Was God giving his people time to prepare their hearts for obedience? Was God using this time to remind both his prophet and his people that God responds in his own perfect timing? Or maybe God just wanted to draw Jeremiah into an even deeper relationship with Him as he sought a response from the Lord. Perhaps it was a combination of the three. Regardless of the reason, Jeremiah sets a wonderful example of someone who patiently waits on the Lord for guidance.

You see, God has his reasons for asking us to wait. Sometimes we never figure out what those reasons are, and we just have to trust in his infinite wisdom. Often, when I’m writing this blog, I BEG for guidance, hoping for a quick word from God so I can write my blog and move on to the next item on my checklist for the day. Sometimes I read and pray and study for hours trying to write a simple one page blog. It may be a little frustrating at the time, but at the end of the day, I realize how much He has taught me through my reading and studying and praying. I realize that all He is doing is trying to spend time with me. I realize that even though I just wanted a quick word from him, He wanted a long conversation with me. I realize that He just wants me to spend time the revealed Word of God so that my tiny mind might just catch a glimpse of just how ginormous his love for me is. We can’t command a word from Him like a genie in a bottle, but we can seek Him with all our hearts and trust in Him for guidance in His perfect timing and in His perfect way.

A couple of things to think about: Have you ever asked for a word from God, sat for few minutes waiting for an answer and given up, only to do what you had planned to do in the first place? What was the result? Have you ever sought guidance from the Lord and found it only after a journey that brought you closer to Him. Care to share on the blog? Click the link below and let us know your thoughts! Take a moment to thank Him for the lessons you’ve learned and the journeys that He’s guided you though.

Todays post submitted by Kelly Coxe