Not What I Wanted to Hear!

 

Nehemiah has been a study focus for me over the last few weeks. But to study Nehemiah, we have to take a look at Jeremiah. Why? Because Jeremiah is the one who prophesied the Babylonian captivity that Nehemiah experienced. In chapter 25 of Jeremiah, we see the prophecy that since the Children of Israel had been rebellious and stubborn, they would be taken into captivity by Babylon, and they would remain there for 70 years. It also says that their own cities would lie in ruins during the captivity.

Jeremiah decided to write a letter to those who had been carried away into captivity. It is in this letter that we find one of the most quoted scriptures of all time. Jeremiah 29:11 is found in the letter written to the captives. God is promising them a future, even though they are living in difficult circumstances that are going to last 70 years, and there's nothing they can do to make it go faster. 

In fact, later in verse 28, it says the duration was going to be long. (Not the promise I wanted to hear today!) But the promise in verse 11 is that God is already in their future and He will answer when they call. Right there. In a captivity that occurred because of their decisions to NOT follow God, to not seek Him. 

It seems to me that God is reassuring them that even though they are in difficult circumstances, He is listening to them. He is still asking for a relationship. Their stubbornness and rebellion didn't make God distance Himself from them. Instead, we see Him moving in closer to reassure them that He was still with them. He still loved them, and even in captivity, He was still their God who was longing for fellowship and communion with them. He had not removed Himself from them or their cries; He was still listening.

Today, I will remind myself that even though the journey drags on longer than I could have ever imagined, God is still listening. Still calling. Still longing to be with me, with us. My meditations will be on how He just wants to hear from us today. I think I can make that happen! It is well within my power to reach for Him when my soul is downcast. He will be found by me - He's not playing hide-and-seek. He chooses to meet us in our circumstances, no matter where we are emotionally, spiritually, physically, etc. That's how I know I can trust Him for one more caregiving day. Will you join me?

Check out my latest release. Command Your Morning is a 31-day devotional that is focused on taking charge of your soul and day in the morning and trusting God that the rest of the day will follow suit! You can get the eBook from my shop at Buy Me A Coffee. Or the print and Kindle versions are now available in my Amazon Shop.