Daily Dose of the Word of God - Jeremiah 29: 7-9

Jason Turner, Director of Congregational Engagement 

Transcript

Jason Turner 0:05  

Welcome to Elmhurst CRC’s Daily Dose of the Word of God. This is Jason Turner. It’s Wednesday, November 19th. As we journey through the Bible this year, today’s reading is from Jeremiah 29:7-9, NIV translation, so that we can better see the Big Picture of how God has been and IS STILL at work for good in the world.

Jason Turner 0:31  

Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have. They are prophesying lies to you in My Name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.

Jason Turner  1:01  

Have we been hoodwinked before? The word hoodwink means to deceive or trick someone. My wife Heather and I got excited about a recent game from a car dealership mailed to us where we thought we’d won $5,000. The catch was that we had to physically go to the dealership to find out if our game winning number would be called. What a scam and false sense of hope! If it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Yet, what’s always true about God is this: God is trustworthy and always on time, even we’re impatient and being misled - like we are by false prophets in today’s passage. The false prophets had convinced God’s people that their time in Babylon would be short. If these exiles believed this, why would they need to settle down and resume a normal life? Jeremiah the Prophet flips the script and tells them the opposite in Verse 7 from today’s passage: Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. And so it is with God: He knew that the people would need time build houses and expand their families when captivity ended after 70 years -- and they returned to Judea.

Jason Turner  2:30

  
Let’s pray. Holy and Gracious God, thank You that You are trustworthy, and You know what’s best for us. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways. Thank You, that even in the darkest moments where we’re being hoodwinked, lied to by false prophets, and feeling displaced, You are with us znc setting us up for spiritual success. Give us ears to hear Your truth, hearts to receive Your love, and faith to trust Your plan. Amen.