The Icing on the Cake
Opening Prayer
Holy God, I praise You today as the One who promised the world a Savior and gave us Your beloved Son.
Read Jeremiah 33:14-26
[14] “‘The days are coming,’ declares the LORD, ‘when I will fulfill the gracious promise I made to the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. [15] “‘In those days and at that time I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David’s line; he will do what is just and right in the land. [16] In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness.’ [17] For this is what the LORD says: ‘David will never fail to have a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel, [18] nor will the priests, who are Levites, ever fail to have a man to stand before me continually to offer burnt offerings, to burn grain offerings and to present sacrifices.'” [19] The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: [20] “This is what the LORD says: ‘If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, [21] then my covenant with David my servant-and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me-can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne. [22] I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars of the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.'” [23] The word of the LORD came to Jeremiah: [24] “Have you not noticed that these people are saying, ‘The LORD has rejected the two kingdoms he chose’? So they despise my people and no longer regard them as a nation. [25] This is what the LORD says: ‘If I have not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed laws of heaven and earth, [26] then I will reject the descendants of Jacob and David my servant and will not choose one of his sons to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. For I will restore their fortunes and have compassion on them.'” Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.
Reflect
What promise did the Lord make to his people here (26)/If you know anything about Jeremiah, you will know that this passage is not his usual message. This is the icing on the cake. This is the promise of God’s fruitful harvest. Jeremiah, like Jesus after him, knew that God is faithful, and capable of growing wonderful things out of very meager beginnings.
Jesus began a group of 12 ordinary men who had a hunger to learn about God. Jeremiah’s starting point was far less encouraging. His listeners were on the brink of humiliating defeat and a cruel exile that would last longer than the lives of every person he spoke to.
Jeremiah and Jesus both knew that doing the work of God in this rebellious world is a challenging and patient process. Inasmuch as Jesus was himself the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy, it took five centuries to produce its fruit.
Next week, we must go out into God’s fields to plow his love into unpromising soil, to sow the seed of the gospel, and patiently tend his growing plants. We may never live to see the fruit of our labors. Jeremiah certainly didn’t.
Apply
Are you frustrated by the seeming slowness of Your work for God or his work around you? Pray for patience.
Closing prayer
Ask God to bless you with Jeremiah’s faithful persistence when you face unpromising situations and unresponsive people.
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