Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 2; Psalm 50; John 4:1-26; Revelation 7

The Lord, the Mighty One, is God,
and he has spoken;
he has summoned all humanity
from where the sun rises to where it sets.
From Mount Zion, the perfection of beauty,
God shines in glorious radiance.
Our God approaches,
and he is not silent.
Fire devours everything in his way,
and a great storm rages around him.
He calls on the heavens above and earth below
to witness the judgment of his people.
“Bring my faithful people to me—
those who made a covenant with me by giving sacrifices.”
Then let the heavens proclaim his justice,
for God himself will be the judge. – Psalm 50:1-6

What a magnificent description of God calling all people to attention; it is time to listen to what He has to say. Picture this: Our beautiful Lord who shines in glorious radiance is approaching, surrounded by the storm clouds of judgment against those who have broken their covenant with Him.

To fully understand God’s plans to punish His people, we need to read the book of Jeremiah and the words God spoke to him as he warned the people of what was to come and why it was happening. Let’s consider the heartbreak of our God as He described the unfaithfulness of the people He had blessed generation after generation, and consider how His words apply to us today:

“I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness…

“What did your ancestors find wrong with me
that led them to stray so far from me?
They worshiped worthless idols,
only to become worthless themselves.
They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us safely out of Egypt
and led us through the barren wilderness—
a land of deserts and pits,
a land of drought and death,
where no one lives or even travels?’
“And when I brought you into a fruitful land
to enjoy its bounty and goodness,
you defiled my land and
corrupted the possession I had promised you.” – Jeremiah 2:5-7

How often does the Lord bless us with good health, beautiful possessions, or life-giving relationships only for us to allow these blessings to become the very distraction that pulls our attention away from Him? How must our Creator, who has carefully planned out our lives from our mother’s womb, feel when we go from the loving bride to the unfaithful wife?

“Has any nation ever traded its gods for new ones, even though they are not gods at all? My people have exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols! The heavens are shocked at such a thing and shrink back in horror and dismay,” says the Lord. “For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me — the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all!” – Jeremiah 2:11-13

This word picture says it all. Jesus offers us the fountain of living water so that we will never be thirsty again (John 4), yet we choose the imperfect offerings of this world. We find satisfaction with that which can only offer temporary relief when God is offering us eternal joy. Jeremiah describes the heartbreak of the God who offers us everything only to be rejected and forgotten.

“O my people, listen to the words of the Lord!
Have I been like a desert to Israel?
Have I been to them a land of darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘At last we are free from God!
We don’t need him anymore!’
Does a young woman forget her jewelry,
or a bride her wedding dress?
Yet for years on end
my people have forgotten me.” – Jeremiah 2:31-32

If something is important to you, you don’t forget it. If something truly holds value in your life, it is reflected in your priorities. We may not be bold enough to say the words, but do our actions communicate a rejection of our bridegroom? Have we struggled to be free of the One who offers us spiritual freedom?

Father God, we humble our hearts before you this morning in full surrender. Through your Spirit, reveal all evidence of our unfaithfulness for we long to be fully devoted to you. Remind us of those relationships or activities that have pulled us away from you, and turn our hearts back to you. Thank you for the mercy you show us when we sincerely repent of our sins, and the grace you display when we throw off everything that is hindering our relationship with you. Today we choose to drink from the living water that will never run dry. Amen.