Scripture references: Jeremiah 42 and 43
Trivia question for you: What is the longest book in the Bible? Most people will say Psalms, because of its 150 chapters. However, that answer is incorrect. The longest book in the Bible by word count is Jeremiah, and there is a story in Jeremiah 42-43 that I think we all need to be reminded of today.
This story takes place after Babylon has come and conquered Judah, taking away many leaders and Judean citizens to Babylon as captives. Now, Jeremiah chose to stay with the remnant that was left behind. Then, in chapters 42 and 43, Jeremiah is approached by some leaders of those who were left behind, and they asked him to call on the LORD as to whether they should stay in Judah or migrate to Egypt for safety.
The prophet calls on God and Jeremiah receives a very clear word that the people should stay in Judah. The problem is that, even though these leaders said they would listen to whatever the LORD commanded, they had already decided that Egypt was where they needed to go. What they wanted was for Jeremiah to confirm their own ambitions with some kind of holy blessing. So, when they did not receive that blessing, they responded with anger. In fact, those leaders decided to bind up Jeremiah, take him captive, and go to Egypt against the command that Jeremiah shared from the LORD.
I bring this story up, because I must wonder how often we do this as well. Do the faithful among us truly seek God’s will for this world and our lives, or do we instead long for God to simply bless OUR will for this world and our lives? It is a troubling and yet very necessary question that we should always be asking ourselves.
Now, being the pastor of Alva FUMC, I get to enjoy the sunlight shining through the beautiful Lincoln Window that our church building has on the west side. So, I’ll close with a story of President Lincoln that fits this article’s call for humility.
There is a famous documented moment during the Civil War in which President Lincoln is asked whether he believed God was on “his side.” To this question, President Lincoln responded: “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side. My concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
So, to all the readers out there who are struggling with the chaos of our world, our American politics, and even our day to day lives, I hope you will take the time to humbly ask yourself if it is God’s will you desire … or your own.
May the Holy Spirit be your Guide.
Reader Comments(0)