Flight to Egypt

The remnant of Israel left in Jerusalem had already made a plan to migrate to Egypt. They asked Jeremiah to pray to God about it and they would obey. Not! Sometimes believers ask for prayer that their path may be made clear, when actually they have already decided on it and are secretly hoping to convince God. When prayer is a means of getting our own desires fulfilled, it is a superstition. The lesson is the importance of seeking God with a truly submitted heart to do whatever He says (see Luke 22:42).

STUDY THE SCRIPTURE

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REFLECTION

 

Out of Control

by Kelsey Bacon

 

You’ve heard the phrase “God’s not a vending machine” before, haven’t you? I think it’s a pretty common analogy used to explain how prayer works, especially to kids. But I think it’s helpful for adults too. Because despite age, maturity, and experience, we can still get caught up in the trap of the ”vending machine God.” We submit our requests and expect a return.

 

Now I know many of us who know God know that he doesn’t work like this, that he doesn’t always answer our prayers the way we want them answered, and he doesn’t just give us everything we ask for. How, then, was it possible for the Israelites to get so mixed up in today’s passage? They heard a clear word from the Lord through Jeremiah that they were not supposed to go to Egypt, yet they disobeyed. And even worse, this was after they asked for explicit instructions and swore to God that they would do whatever he told them to.

 

I’m sure that the Israelites had good intentions. They probably thought they wanted to obey God, thought they wanted to be faithful and listen, but they got scared. Things in Israel did not look good, and staying there was a scary prospect. Have you ever disobeyed God out of fear? I know I have. I’ve looked at my earthy surroundings—people, situations, whatever it may be—and thought, “I need to take care of this.” And then tried to do things on my own. The Israelites took matters into their own hands, and we know by now in our lives as believers, that things are always worse when we try and handle them rather than giving things up to God.

 

When the Israelites prayed and asked what they should do, they probably already had an idea in their minds of what they were going to do. They were looking for God to give them the answer they wanted. They submitted their request and expected a return. I think it’s all too easy to be closed off to God’s will. As humans, we are gluttons for control. We want to know the future, know how we’re getting there, and know exactly which pit stops we’re taking on the way. Feeling out of control is one of our biggest fears. But control is an illusion in this world, and God is really the only one who has any control. So our trust in him is essential.

I encourage you, in your prayer time today, to give control up to God. Open your mind and heart to his will, to whatever he wants this day or week to look like for you. Set aside your own plans for a moment, and let God lead.

 

UALC’S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER

THURSDAY: LIFE - Lord God Almighty, we lament the current distress of our nation and we ask for your intervention. We implore you that every precious life would be protected – lives of minorities, lives of the unborn, lives of the hopeless, lives of the mentally ill, lives with deep roots in this land, lives who have recently arrived -- each and every precious life for whom You gave Your precious life.