Today I was led to begin reading Jeremiah for my morning devotions. I could only get as far as Chapter 1, Verse 10 today. Those first 10 verses are powerful. They talk about how God forms us, knows us, sets us apart and appoints us (vs. 5). He accepts no excuses from us (vs. 6-7) because He is with us (vs. 8)and will equip us (vs. 9). As I was contemplating the impact of those verses and the number of times I've seen in scripture where God tells his people, "Do not be afraid...I am with you" I thought about the names of God. I AM (Yahweh) with you (Immanuel). I'm not sure those are the actual words in the Hebrew, but the concept is there for me. God is our YAHWEH IMMANUEL. Just look at that - Old Testament Yahweh, Covenant God - New Testament Immanuel, God with us - covenant fulfilled. What more could we need?
To me Jeremiah's words fit in with our current crisis. But will we turn to God with our financial woes? Will we turn from our greed, gluttony, pride and self-centeredness and return to God? I feel like our nation today is much like Israel was during Jeremiah's time. As I read through Jeremiah over the coming weeks, I'm anxious to see what words he has that may apply to us today. It will be an interesting journey because God's word seems to speak to us no matter what century we are in!
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