A Time Will Come

Scripture

“Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace.”

~Jeremiah 33:6, NLT

Quote

“The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me.”

~Martin Luther

I have deep admiration for Jeremiah the prophet. The gifts and inspiration God gave to he and Isaiah are incredible. Jeremiah predicted the Babylonian captivity and its length. He said it would last a life time {70 years} and it lasted 70 years to the day. Jeremiah was called to deliver a hard message. God didn’t call him to rally the troops and prepare them for battle; God called him to tell them to lay down their weapons and surrender. Jeremiah was not viewed as a patriot but as a traitor. In spite of his unpopularity and his doom and gloom sermons; Jeremiah had a message of hope. The problem was in Judah’s hearing. They didn’t listen to the whole message. The first part of Jeremiah’s sermon made them mad and they didn’t listen to the conclusion. They could not get past the nevertheless.

Jeremiah said,Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peaceI will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellionThen this city will bring me joy, glory, and honor before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.” I was in Israel just a few weeks ago and I was amazed at its growth since my last visit 32 years ago. The towns have definitely been rebuilt and Jerusalem is prospering. Clearly the nation as a whole has not repented and I do not think the people of the world are giving God glory when they see what is happening in Jerusalem but I believe it is coming. Yes, I think the time will come when the world will recognize God’s favor on Israel. They will look at what is happening among the Jews and they will realize it is a God thing and they will give Him glory. Isaiah 46:10 comes to mind, Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish.

Extra

Sorry I am late again. I need to be more consistent on my post time. I know that some of you are fasting tomorrow and there are several ways to do it. You can drink water and eat a piece of bread or a cracker when you fast. Or you can fast one thing that your body craves such as diet cokes. Laying the phone aside or turning off the TV is not a fast for me but if would be for a lot of people. The internet would be a different matter because I use it daily in my research. You make the decision of what to do without. For me, it needs to be food related because I am a glutton…I love to eat.  Whatever you choose should make you conscious of your physical craving and how strong its influence is in your life. You then relate that to the spiritual: what do you need a stronger desire for spiritually? Each time you think about what your body is screaming for; you can voice a prayer. Trust me, you will be in a prayerful mood all day. You can do a 12 fast from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm which is easy compared to the way the Jews fasted. They began at 6:00 pm and went to 6:00 pm the next day. In the 12 hour fast, you miss only one meal. In the 24 hour fast, you miss two. If you have medical problems and end up with a headache or stomach ache; you may have to lie down for awhile. This is one reason I don’t fast very often; I reach a point where I can’t function. The goal is not to do something unhealthy, the goal is to make your self conscience of your physical appetite. Going 24 hours without sweets would work for me. Going 24 hours without a Diet Pepsi is brutal for me. I am considering a bread and water fast but I am also planning to dig two ditches: so we are going to play it by ear. The main thing is to be God conscience and prayer conscience.

 

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