Reading: Jeremiah 32-33
Moreover the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Thus saith the Lord the Maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is His name. Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not (Jer. 33:1-3).
Jeremiah was in dire straits. After branding him both a troublemaker and a false prophet, Zedekiah had locked him away to silence his warnings of their fast-approaching defeat. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Wherefore dost thou prophesy, and say, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it (Jer. 32:3). Jerusalem was under siege by the Babylonian army, and Jeremiah was stuck in prison, alone and helpless. Yet even behind bars, Jeremiah’s dedication to God did not falter. He faithfully continued to share God’s message with all who would listen, heedless of the dangers surrounding him.
While he was yet shut up in the court of the prison, the Lord approached Jeremiah with an astounding offer.Thus saith the Lord the Maker thereof, the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is His name. Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah had served God without question for years, contenting himself with the knowledge that he was working under God’s will. Now, the Lord was offering to share His secrets with him, but there was a catch. If Jeremiah wanted to know, he had to ask. Why was asking important if God already knew the desires of Jeremiah’s heart (Matt. 6:8)?
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God (Phil 4:6). God requires us to ask for our benefit, not for His own. By asking for what we need or want, we are acknowledging the One who is capable of giving it to us. It is possible to know that you are thirsty but not realize that if you turn the tap, you can have water. If someone always intervenes and brings you a full glass without you ever discovering where the water comes from, you are left with a false impression of how your thirst can be quenched. God wants us to understand our needs, but He also wants us to realize He is the One that meets them.
If God always answered our prayers before they had time to form in our minds, we would never understand where our blessings come from. It is essential that we know to turn to Him in our times of need, even if we don’t know what to ask of Him. Our prayers can be as simple or as detailed as we wish. A heartfelt “God help me” will catch His attention as quickly as an alphabetized list of our troubles and concerns. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God (Rom. 8:26-27). All we have to do is reach out; God will do the rest.
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matt. 7:7).
Thought for Today: God is our master, not our equal or our servant. He deserves to be approached with reverence and respect.
Christ Portrayed: By Jeremiah who, even though he was in prison, acted as a kinsman-redeemer by purchasing the land of his cousin Hanameel (Jer. 32:6-14; Lev. 25:25,49; Ruth 2:20; 3:12-13). Jesus is our Kinsman-Redeemer who purchased our freedom from sin, hell, and the grave with His own blood on Calvary (I Cor. 6:20; Gal. 4:4-5; Titus 2:13-14; Heb. 13:12; Rev. 1:18).
Word Studies:32:4 mouth to mouth = face to face; 32:10 evidence = deed; 32:25 for (second usage) = even though; 32:44 subscribe evidences = sign deeds.
Pray For Staff: Jennifer Palafox • Government Official: Rep. Kim Schrier (WA), Rep. Scott Franklin (FL),Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (MI) • Country: Argentina (43,024,374) Southern South America • Major Languages: Spanish, Italian, English • Religious Freedom • 92% Roman Catholic; 2% Protestant; 2% Jewish; 4% Other • Prayer Suggestion: Sing praises to God, for He hears your prayers and delivers you (Ps. 40:1-3).
Optional Readings:I John 5