Hope for Israel and Judah
“In those coming days,”
says the Lord,
“the people of Israel will return home
together with the people of Judah.
They will come weeping
and seeking the Lord their God.
They will ask the way to Jerusalem
and will start back home again.
They will bind themselves to the Lord
with an eternal covenant that will never be forgotten. Jeremiah 50:4-5
If you’re like me and you pay attention to world events, it can be overwhelming. Hearing about wars, crime, diseases, natural disasters, and tense political dramas can shake our calm and cause us to wonder if anything can be done about these events. We want to know where God is in all these circumstances and how it will ever work out.
There are a few things that the world says or can say for certain about the future. 1) It will happen and 2) we can predict and prepare only so much and then the future becomes completely unknown. But there are deeper truths and a hope found in Scripture when it comes to the future. 1) God is already there. 2) He has a plan for each of us and 3) until he reveals those plans we can trust him. Even when we feel overwhelmed by enemies or circumstances, we ourselves are powerless to change. God reminds us that he has the entirety of time in his view and his goodness will win out.
That’s why God’s word in Scripture can be so comforting, especially when things feel so overwhelming. In our reading for today, the prophet Jeremiah was giving hope to the people of Israel and Judah during a time when their country was in ruins, many of them had been killed, and a significant portion of them had been kidnapped and forced to emigrate to their captor’s capital. What he foretold seemed impossible. That the largest and strongest empire would crumble and be destroyed, that the captives would be set free, and that God’s blessings would endure and sustain his chosen people. Through perseverance and trust, there would be a dramatic and improbable reversal of fortune.
If we fast-forward several hundred years to John 14 Jesus is telling his disciples that he is about to be captured, tortured, and killed. He has said it before, but they are finally understanding it and they are filled with fear and grief. But that’s not what he wants to leave them with. John 14:1-4 and 27-29 all point to the Good News of his victory over the enemies no one can ever hope to defeat – sin and death. Pain and grief will end, and his resurrection will herald a new beginning for those who love God and trust in him. In John 16:33 Jesus reminds us that when we trust God, we can have peace – a peace that doesn’t make sense to the world or even to ourselves in our present circumstance, but a peace that is well founded and will endure forever.
Questions for reflection:
- When I view the circumstances of the world today through the lens of God’s promises can I see my part in it differently?
- Can I see how trusting God and following Jesus can bring me courage, perseverance, and strength even when I feel depleted?
- What circumstance can I invite God into, trusting him to supply me with whatever I need to experience his peace?