11^th November

“Hear the word that the Lord speaks to you, O Israel! This is what the Lord says: “Do not act like other nations, who try to read their future in the stars. Do not be afraid of their predictions, even though other nations are terrified by them. Their ways are futile and foolish.”

Jeremiah 10:1-3a

Jeremiah was an Old Testament prophet who just said things like it was. He heard from God and spoke. Because of his brash yet true words, he was often persecuted and maligned, yet he knew that the God he served, was by far, above every other god.

If Jeremiah was alive today, we can only wonder what he would say to those looking for God in the wrong places, or to those who are seeking ‘divine’ guidance or inspiration from the wrong sources. Yet what is astounding about most of Jeremiah’s prophetic words, is that they were directed to God’s people, his people, the very people whom God led out of Egyptian bondage, who were fed ‘divinely’ for 40 years in the wilderness and who had continually been saved from their enemies by God. Yet somehow, they had again abandoned their God and followed in the ways of foreign, unknown gods who had no power. Perhaps this was why Jeremiah was so unpopular: because the very words of truth that he prophetically spoke, were directed at his own people, his own leaders, and his own priests.

Before we too quickly judge the Israelites, maybe Jeremiah’s words are a reminder for us too, in our day and age, to not put our trust in other nations, in foolish and futile advice from people trying to be like gods. Rather, let us too put our trust back in the One true God who can alone, save, lead and guide. We have nothing to fear about the future, because we serve a God who sees and knows all, and whose ways are higher than ours. All we need to do, is put our trust in HIM! Let us not be like other nations or religions, but trust in the one TRUE GOD, and let Him lead and guide us, His children.