Be Faithful And Courageous To Trust In God’s Plans
BRD REFLECTIONS
Jeremiah 39 and Psalm 44 (NIV)
(Gerhardine Foo, Pastoral Team Member, Small Group Ministry)
READ:
Jeremiah 39 (NIV)
OBSERVE:
In Jeremiah 39, we see what the prophet Jeremiah had prophesied come to pass, that if Zedekiah King of Judah refuses to surrender to the king of Babylon and continues to trust in the Egyptian army to protect them instead of God, Judah will fall to Babylon and Zedekiah will be given into their hands. Although Zedekiah always seems keen to hear what Jeremiah has to say, he ultimately gives in to the anti-Babylonian pressure from the officials around him to rebel.
We see the Babylon king punishing Zedekiah for rebelling against him. Zedekiah was bounded and carried off to Babylon, but before that, he was blinded and the last sight he saw was a horrific one of his sons being killed. It was not just Zedekiah who had to pay the price for not being faithful to what God tried to tell him through Jeremiah, but the entire nation of Jerusalem suffered for it as the city was burned and destroyed and almost all the people were exiled.
There is a stark difference, however, in the treatment of Jeremiah. God’s protection was over his faithful prophet despite the maltreatment of everyone else. Jeremiah was treated with high honour and respect by King Nebuchadnezzar and the officials of Babylon. We know that despite the opposition and oppression that Jeremiah faces each time he prophesies, he continues to speak the word of God faithfully.
We see, too, that Jeremiah was not the only one who was protected by God. Ebed-Melech, the Ethiopian eunuch (a gentile) who risked his position by speaking up for Jeremiah and had him rescued from the cistern (Jeremiah 38), was also given a promise through Jeremiah that he shall be kept safe for trusting in God. This shows that even in those times, one does not even have to be one of God’s chosen people to be rescued by God, as long as one trusts in the Lord and does what is right.
APPLY:
This passage seems to be about the consequences of trusting in the wrong things and not having the courage to do what is right. God wants us to be faithful and to trust in His plans for us, but if we choose to place our trust in other things to save ourselves or to conform to peer pressure instead of standing up for what is right, we may face dire consequences. But if we choose to trust in Him, no matter how difficult or unsavoury the option may seem at the moment, His plans will always be the right ones for us.
DO:
- I will choose to trust in God’s plans for me instead of relying on my own effort.
- I will not conform to peer pressure or the pattern of the world if it is not in alignment with the word of God or what He has placed in my heart. I will choose to do the right thing even if it may not be socially acceptable.
- I will make an intentional effort to listen to what God’s plan is for me and what He has to say in every situation.
PRAY:
Father God, thank you for the good plans you have for me. I am sorry for the times where I have chosen to take my own path or have caved in to societal pressures even when I knew it was not right. Help me to be able to discern clearly what your plan is, and help me to have the courage to do what is right and pleasing in your eyes. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
