Hope is in You

Though God had told Jeremiah that He would not hear the prayers prayed for the people (verse 14:11), nevertheless out of love, Jeremiah continued to plead for them. With death and devastation all around as the grim penalty for idolatry, Jeremiah knew that in the face of their continued disloyalty, if God abandoned His covenant love for Judah, all was lost (verse 21). So he cries out on the basis of who God is. He waits in hope. As we must when in serious trouble. Where else can we go?

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REFLECTION

 

Let it Rain!

by Tom Richards

Jeremiah was a contemporary of the prophet Ezekiel who we have heard from in previous Daily Worship posts. Both lived during a turbulent time when the Israelites were in rebellion against God. In chapter 14 we find the people of Judah (southern kingdom of Israel) enduring a severe drought. In chapter 14:1– 15:9 Jeremiah alternately prays, and God responds. Verses 20–22 are one of his prayers. 

It seems like there are some parallels that can be drawn between Jeremiah’s prayer in verses 20–22 and a prayer that we might say today. In verse 20 Jeremiah says “We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord, and the guilt of our ancestors; we have indeed sinned against you.” It’s one thing to confess our wickedness, but to reference the “guilt of our ancestors” seems odd. However, for someone my age, it is easy to look back over the past fifty years and see how our collective disobedience to God has progressed. So maybe this isn’t such a stretch. I recently read an article where the author stated “We don’t live to ourselves alone, but to our families, communities, and the nation. If as Christ’s disciples we have fumbled the ball, can we complain when the other team picks it up and scores? A secular culture triumphs over a once-God-honoring culture by pure physics: Every vacuum begs to be filled.” I wonder, does this concept apply to us in 2020 – and did it apply in Jeremiah’s time?

In verse 21 Jeremiah says “For the sake of your name do not despise us; do not dishonor your glorious throne.  Remember your covenant with us and do not break it.” Here Jeremiah is asking God to “remember” his covenant with the nation of Israel. When we are dealing with the “drought” of sin we also ask God to remember his covenant, only we live under the new covenant. The covenant that God gives us through the suffering, death, and resurrection of his son, Jesus. The covenant that assures us of God’s love and grace if we have faith in his Son. The covenant God longs to share with us. The covenant that God never “forgets”. 

In verse 22 Jeremiah says “Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain?  Do the skies themselves send down showers?  No, it is you, Lord our God. Therefore, our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.”  Here Jeremiah confirms that the only true hope for salvation/restoration/”rain” is God.  We can ask if government, celebrities, work, wealth, science, or technology can ultimately solve the “drought” of sin.  Jeremiah tells us the answer, doesn’t he: Therefore, our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.”  

Father, we have sinned against you as individuals, as your church, and as a nation.  We ask for your forgiveness promised in the new covenant you established through the suffering, death, and resurrection of your son Jesus Christ.  We have no one else to turn to in our sinful state and ask you, and you alone, to deliver us.  Amen

UALC’S CAMPAIGN OF PRAYER

TUESDAY - UNITY: God of peace, we pray for de-polarized, non-defensive pursuit of truth, unity, and equality. We pray for well engaged minds. Set us free from the competing narratives of our culture wars that funnel us into opposing camps and make of us a house divided. Kindle in us a desire for your truth that is larger than our desire to have been right.