After reading 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles, then listening to the prophets through whom God spoke to His people, it puts new context to the book of Lamentations. Using poetry, the author of Lamentations mourns the loss of what Jerusalem used to be. He weeps over the conditions of those who have been left behind as they starve behind the walls that were built to protect them. It would have been better for them to be captured and exiled than to remain there to watch what Jerusalem had become and to watch her children begging for food.

The Lord in his anger has cast a dark shadow over beautiful Jerusalem.
The fairest of Israel’s cities lies in the dust, thrown down form the heights of heaven.
In his day of anger, the Lord has shown no mercy even to his Temple…

I have cried until the tears no longer come; my heart is broken.
My spirit is poured out in agony as I see the desperate plight of my people.
Little children and tiny babies are fainting and dying in the streets.
They cry out to their mothers, “We need food and drink!”
Their lives ebb away in the streets like the life of a warrior wounded in battle.
They gasp for life as they collapse in their mothers’ arms. – Lamentations 2:1,9-12

“And though I cry and shout, he has shut out my prayers” (Lam. 3:8). Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever gone through a time when you wondered if God was even listening anymore? “Everything I had hoped for from the Lord is lost!” (3:18).

As we read through the grief expressed in the book of Lamentations, many of us can relate to a time when we were hurting over a loss of some kind. Perhaps you are in the midst of your grief right now. I watched a friend sing over her sick baby as she took her last breath. I held a friend as she collapsed in grief when her husband told her he was leaving. I have wiped the tears of my own girls as we told them we were moving again. I have cried with families as they surrounded a loved one whose battle with cancer was coming to an end. I have watched nurses tell pregnant women that a heartbeat cannot be found…

We have all experienced loss and grief in our lives and we have all watched others around us suffer. But in the midst of utter sorrow, we have also experienced the mercy of our wonderful Lord and Savior. When grief threatens to overwhelm us, God steps in and we experience a moment of hope. We serve a God who is faithful and never abandons us, even if it feels like that at times.

“I will never forget this awful time, as I grieve over my loss.
Yet I still dare to hope when I remember this:
The faithful love of the Lord never ends!
His mercies never cease.
Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.
I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my inheritance; therefore, I will hope in him!’
The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.
So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord” (Lam. 3:20-26)

I do not know everything that is going on in the lives of those who will share my morning coffee with me but I know that this is what God wants someone to hear today. There is one who is not looking back at a time of loss in their life but who is in the midst of their grief right now or who continues to seek healing or rescue. My prayer is that God will use these verses to give you hope and remind you that He is faithful.

For NO ONE is abandoned by the Lord forever.
Though he brings grief, he also shows compassion because of the greatness of his unfailing love…
Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins?
Instead, let us test and examine our ways.
Let us turn back to the Lord.
Let us lift our hearts and hands to God in heaven and say,
“We have sinned and rebelled, and you have not forgiven us…”
My tears flow endlessly; they will not stop until the Lord looks down from heaven and sees.
My heart is breaking…
But I call on your name, Lord, from deep within the pit.
You heard me when I cried, “Listen to my pleading! Hear my cry for help!”
Yes, you came when I called; you told me, “Do not fear” (Lam. 3:31-32,39-42,49-51a,55-57).

Sometimes our present suffering seems more real than the hope of our salvation – the possibility that God will step in and rescue us from our pain. Remember God loves you. Hold on to the fact that God is faithful. If you seek Him, you will find Him. If you pray to Him, you will be heard. If you cry out to Him, He will hold you. God has not abandoned you. He is with you.

“Don’t be afraid, for I am with you.
Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you.
I will hold you up with my victorious right hand…
For I hold you by your right hand – I, the Lord your God.
And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.
I am the Lord, your Redeemer.
I am the Holy One of Israel.’” – Isaiah 41:10,13-14

A big part of Jeremiah’s message to the people of Judah – both those already in exile as well as though still fighting or not yet taken into captivity – was that there was hope for the future. God had promised He would bring them back to their land in 70 years. Jeremiah wanted the people to know they could trust God and that this return to Jerusalem someday was possible because nothing was too difficult for God. What a great message for me to hear today and to enjoy in my morning coffee.

God told Jeremiah to buy a piece of land that his cousin was going to ask him to purchase from him. He wanted Jeremiah to do this in order to show the people that he trusted God and fully believed the promised land would once again be theirs. As you can imagine, for anyone to purchase land at this point in the battle would appear very foolish yet what Jeremiah was doing was making an investment in the future that God was promising – that’s how much he trusted his God! Do we trust God that much?

“O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and the earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you!…
You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles…
You performed miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt – things still remembered to this day! And you continued to do great miracles in Israel and all around the world. You have made your name famous to this day. You brought Israel out of Egypt with might signs and wonders, with a strong hand and powerful arm, and with overwhelming terror. You gave the people of Israel this land that you had promised their ancestors long before – a land flowing with milk and honey.

Our ancestors came and conquered it and lived in it, but they refused to obey you or follow your word. They have not done anything you commanded. That is why you have sent this terrible disaster upon them. See how the siege ramps have been built against the city walls! Through war, famine, and disease, the city will be handed over to the Babylonians, who will conquer it. Everything has happened just as you said. AND YET, O Sovereign Lord, you have told me to buy the field – paying good money for it before these witnesses – even though the city will soon be handed over to the Babylonians” (Jeremiah 32:17-25).

This sounds like a conversation we might have with God at times, pointing out to God how ridiculous it is that He would ask us to do ______________________when we are in the midst of ___________________ (fill in the blanks). Yet God calls us to trust in His promises, just as He wanted Jeremiah to show his trust in God.

Then the message came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “I am the Lord, the God of all the peoples of the world. Is anything too hard for me?” – Jeremiah 32:26

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. – Hebrews 10:23

And this is what God was promising His people at this time as they were gathering everything they could from within the city of Jerusalem to strengthen the walls against the siege ramps, trying hard to fight the Babylonians and resist captivity:

“Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. I 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 rebellions. Then 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” (Jer. 33:6-9).

What battle are you fighting right now that you need to hear God’s promises that He will heal…restore…rebuild…cleanse…and forgive?
Enter into the presence of your God and trust that nothing is too hard for Him!

What might God be asking you to do today to show you trust Him, regardless of the circumstances in your life?
Enter into the presence of your God and listen closely with a heart willing to obey.

What is your answer to God when He asks you, “Is anything too hard for me?”
Enter into the presence of your God and seek the answer to that question.

By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, the let us go right into presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him (Heb. 10:20-22a).

“I will be their God and they will be my people” (Exodus 6:7).

These are the powerful words of God when He made a covenant with His people – the promise to hold onto as God sent Moses to Pharoah with the command to let His people go. It is interesting that God uses these words again through the prophet Jeremiah as His people are once more entering captivity. He reminds them that, just as He rescued them from Egypt, He has plans to deliver them from the exile they are beginning in Babylon.

We may read right over those words without thinking much of them, but to the people of Judah, “I will be their God and they will be my people” meant something. It reminded them that God had once rescued them and made a covenant with them on Mt. Sinai – a covenant written on stone tablets that required them to obey ten commandments as a way of remaining faithful to God, the first of which they broke over and over again – “You must not have any other god before me” (Exodus 20:3).

“The day is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. This covenant will NOT be like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and brought them out of Egypt. They broke that covenant, though I loved them as a husband loves a wife,” says the Lord. “But this is the NEW COVENANT I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people…And I will forgive them their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

This new covenant would not be written on stone tablets, it would be written on their hearts. The old covenant required obedience and faithfulness to the God who met with their leader on the mountain while they stayed at a distance. The new covenant would be deep within each individual child of God, written on their hearts as each one had the opportunity to experience a personal God living within them.

What a God of restoration we serve!!! God’s people were experiencing the fury of God while He equipped Babylon to destroy Jerusalem and take His people captive for 70 years. Yet, in the midst of this sentencing, God was expressing love and promising to bring them home again starting over with a new covenant that would draw them closer to Him instead of pushing them away – a covenant that would last forever!

“They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants. And I will make an EVERLASTING COVENANT with them: I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. I will find joy doing good for them and will faithfully and wholeheartedly replant them in this land” (Jer. 32:38-41).

These words of God are repeated in Hebrews 8:8-12 and explained in Hebrews 9 & 10, helping us understand that the new covenant was put in place when Jesus died as a sacrifice for our sins. But first let’s look at Romans 8:3, “The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.”

Hebrews 9:1 and verses 6-8 explain why the temple and its traditions had to be destroyed as Jeremiah prophesied: That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth…When these things were in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.

With the old covenant, God’s people were not given access to freely enter His presence as we are given now. Because Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins by the power of the eternal Spirit, He mediates a new covenant with God as he appears before God on our behalf. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him (Heb. 10:20-22a).

So here I am today, enjoying my morning coffee in the presence of a God I can trust and it all goes back to the time we have studied as we read through 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles, as well as the books of the prophets and now the book of Jeremiah. The fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple Solomon built led the way to a new and everlasting covenant through the death of the perfect sacrifice – Jesus Christ.

This covenant is written on my heart and I have been given one heart and one purpose: to worship God forever! He has placed a desire in my heart to worship him and I will never leave Him! I will find joy in doing good for Him because He finds joy in doing good for me. I will serve Him faithfully and wholeheartedly because I serve a faithful and wholehearted God! I will go right into His presence with a sincere heart, fully trusting Him.

“Is not Israel still my son, my darling child?” says the Lord. “I often have to punish him, BUT I STILL LOVE HIM. That’s why I long for him and surely will have mercy on him. Set up road signs; put up guideposts. Mark well the path by which you came. Come back again…” (Jeremiah 31:20-21).

I think these verses sum up the prophecies of the book of Jeremiah. It’s a difficult book to read. It’s hard to hear chapter after chapter of the painful consequences God’s people suffered due to their sin and unfaithfulness. But there are several chapters here in the middle of Jeremiah that speak of God’s love and His mercy – of hope for the future of God’s people.

“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11). This is one of my favorite verses – one of my life verses. Taking this verse and studying the context of the time in which it was originally spoken does not take away from its meaning but rather enhances how we can apply this verse to our lives.

God’s people have been unfaithful generation after generation and He has handed them over to the King of Babylon as a consequence of their sin. After bringing them into the promised land after 40 years of wandering in the desert and then dwelling among them in the beautiful temple Solomon built, God is taking away His gift and sending them into exile for a period of 70 years as a punishment for their sins.

At the time this letter in Chapter 29 is being written, the attack on Judah and Jerusalem has been going on for years. Thousands of the Israelites have already been captured and exiled to Babylon while Jeremiah is imprisoned in the heart of Jerusalem while the attack on the city continues. After years of proclaiming the message of painful consequences, now God has a message of hope for His people. God wants them to know He loves them and that their time of pain and suffering will not last forever – that He has a plan to bring them back, a plan to bless their lives once again.

Let’s read through these verses of hope and allow God to speak to our hearts. To get the full message, I encourage you to read through Jeremiahs 29-31. I have pulled a few verses and phrases that spoke to my heart this morning. I pray that as you read them the Spirit will fill you with today’s message God has for you.

“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce…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…”
This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise TO BRING YOU BACK to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you HOPE and a FUTURE. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity…” (29:5,7,10-14a, NIV).

“I will restore…For I will bring you home again…For I am with you and will save you…I will give you back your health and heal your wounds…There will be joy and songs of thanksgiving and I will multiply my people, not diminish them…You will be my people and I will be your God” (30:3,10,11,17,19,22, NLT).

I love this part! Even in the midst of suffering, God promises His people that they will find blessings:
“Those who survive the coming destruction will find blessings even in the barren land, for I will give rest to the people of Israel…
I HAVE LOVED YOU, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself. I WILL REBUILD YOU, my virgin Israel. You will be happy again and dance merrily with your tambourines…Tears of joy will stream down their faces, and I will lead them home with great care….
The Lord, who scattered his people, will gather them and watch over them as a shepherd does his flock…Their life will be like a watered garden, and all their sorrows will be gone…
I will turn their mourning into joy. I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing…
Do not weep any longer…
There is hope for your future,” says the Lord…”For I have given rest to the weary and joy to the sorrowing” (31:2-4,9-10, 12-13, 16-17, 25, NLT).

“There is hope for your future.” This is the message that we speak to the men and women who come to the Pregnancy Resource Center. There are often natural consequences to our sin, to a life of doing what we want to do instead of following God’s plan for our lives. But God’s plan does not go away – when we seek Him with our whole hearts, we will find Him! Even in the midst of suffering the results of our sin, God will be with us and we will see His blessings in our lives. He will restore us and bring us joy.

It’s time to stop resisting God’s plan for our lives. If you seek Him, He will be found and there will be HOPE for your future.

Have you ever gone through a difficult time or a time of persecution and wondered why God was allowing difficult times in your life? Have you ever suffered physical pain or disease or watched a loved one struggle with cancer and wonder why God does not heal all of His faithful children?

Jeremiah was called by God to proclaim to the people of Judah their future destruction and captivity. Although intimidated by God’s call on his life, Jeremiah was obedient and listened to God, passing on each message the Lord gave him. Yet as we read through the book of Jeremiah, we see that life was not easy for him. We can imagine that his message was less than popular for it was extremely harsh. For example, listen to these words of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah:

“For I will upset the careful plans of Judah and Jerusalem. I will allow the people to be slaughtered by invading armies, and I will leave their dead bodies as food for the vultures and wild animals. I will reduce Jerusalem to ruins, making it a monument to their stupidity. All who pass by will be astonished and will gasp at the destruction they see there. I will set to it that your enemies lay siege to the city until all the food is gone. Then those trapped inside will eat their own sons and daughters and friends. They will be driven to utter despair” (Jeremiah 19:7-9).

As you can imagine, Jeremiah’s message did not get a resounding “Amen” or “Preach it, brother!” Instead he was persecuted, plotted against, arrested, mocked, flogged, whipped, put it stocks and placed on trial. When Jerusalem was attacked, Jeremiah’s life was in danger as well. When the people of Judah were led into exile, Jeremiah was also taken captive.

Listen to these words of Jeremiah and God’s response to His faithful servant.

Jeremiah: “What sorrow is mine, my mother. Oh, that I had died at birth! I am hated everywhere I go.”
God: “I will take care of you, Jeremiah.” (15:10-11)
Jeremiah: “Lord, you know what’s happening to me. Please step in and help me…I bear your name…Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable? Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry.”
God: “I am with you to protect you and rescue you…I will certainly keep you safe…I will rescue you…” (15:15-21)
Jeremiah: “Lord, you are my strength and fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble!” (16:19)
God: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (17:7-8)
Jeremiah: “O Lord, if you heal me, I will truly be healed; if you save me, I will be truly saved. My praises are for you alone!” (17:14)

We know from other Scriptures that sometimes God’s children go through times of suffering, even when they are following God’s will for their lives. Consider Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:4-5: In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.

So, if following God does not guarantee us a life of peace, why do we continue to serve Him? Consider Paul’s words again in 2 Timothy 2:10-12a: So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. This is a trustworthy saying: If we die with him, we will also live with him. If we endure hardship, we will reign with him.

Yes, and everyone who wants to life a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. (2 Tim. 3:12)

But also consider our reward: God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him (James 1:12).

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while (1 Peter 1:6).
…Be very glad – for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world (1 Peter 4:13).

I am going to stir a second helping of the words of God to Jeremiah into my morning coffee and choose to be glad no matter what the circumstances: “But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.” (17:7-8)

Two years after Habakkuk started prophesying, King Josiah made his first reform attempt with the people of Judah. The obedience of one man in allowing God to use him was having an impact on this young king and, in turn, on the entire nation. One year later, God called another man to make an impact on His people – He called Jeremiah.

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb.
Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

And the Lord said, “That’s right, and it means that I am watching, and I will certainly carry out my plans.” – Jeremiah 1:5-12

To fully understand God’s plans to punish His people and allow for their coming captivity and the destruction of Jerusalem, 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 look at the heartbreak of our God as He describes the unfaithfulness of the people He has blessed generation after generation and consider how His words apply 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…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…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!…My people have forgotten me” (2:1,7, 11b-13, 32b).

Out of His great mercy, God gave Israel the opportunity to repent through the message spoken to Jeremiah. He told them to do the following: Acknowledge your guilt, admit that you rebelled, confess that you refused to listen to my voice, return home and I will bring you back to the land of Israel. “I would love to treat you as my own children! I want nothing more than to give you this beautiful land – the finest possession in the world. I looked forward to your calling me ‘Father,’ and I wanted you never to turn from me” (3:12-15,19).

Surrender your pride and power. Change your hearts before the Lord…cleanse your heart that you may be saved. “My people are foolish and do not know me,” says the Lord. “They are stupid children who have no understanding. They are clever enough at doing wrong, but they have no idea how to do right!”
…I hear a cry, like that of a woman in labor, the groans of a woman giving birth to her first child. It is beautiful Jerusalem gasping for breath and crying out, “Help! I’m being murdered!” (4:4,14,22,31).

“I, the Lord, define the ocean’s sandy shoreline as an everlasting boundary that the waters cannot cross. The waves may toss and roar, but they can never pass the boundaries I set. But my people have stubborn and rebellious hearts. They have turned away and abandoned me. They do not say from the heart, ‘Let us live in awe of the Lord our God, for he gives us rain each spring and fall, assuring us of a harvest when the time is right.’” (5:22b-24).

This is what the Lord says: “Stop at the crossroads and look around. Ask for the old, godly way, and walk in it. Travel its path, and you will find rest for your souls. But you reply, ‘No, that’s not the road we want!’ I posted watchmen over you who said, ‘Listen for the sound of the alarm.’ But you replied, ‘No! We won’t pay attention!’” (6:16-17).

“This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’ But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward…They have stubbornly followed their own desires.” (7:23-24; 9:14).

This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love and who brings justice and righteousness to the earth, and that I delight in these things. I, the Lord, have spoken!” (9:23-24)

Lord, help us this morning to truly know you and understand the depth of your unfailing love demonstrated for us day after day. May we be eager to please you today, drinking only from your fountain of living water instead of depending on our own cracked cisterns to sustain us. Lord, do a work in our hearts today deepening our understanding. We long to shed any pride and self-reliance, living in awe of you who brings rain into our lives so that you might reap a harvest of righteousness. We long for you to use us so that our lives can have an impact on the nation in which we live, just as you used Jeremiah. Father God, help us to hear your voice only as we stand at the next crossroads. Give us wisdom from you and place your words in our mouths. Amen.

Approximately five years after Zephaniah starting prophesying to God’s people, God called Habakkuk to do the same. As we read the book of Habakkuk, we are listening in on a conversation between the prophet and his God. He dares to ask God tough questions – Why does God allow injustice? Does He even care? Why does He tolerate evil? Is God really in control?

God saw the honest heart of the prophet and took time to give him answers – answers that show our God is sovereign!

How long, O Lord, must I call for help?
But you do not listen!
“Violence is everywhere!” I cry, but you do not come to save.
Must I forever see these evil deeds?
Why must I watch all this misery?
Wherever I look, I see destruction and violence.
I am surrounded by people who love to argue and fight.
The law has become paralyzed, and there is no justice in the courts.
The wicked far outnumber the righteous, so that justice has become perverted. – Habakkuk 1:2-4

Have you ever prayed a similar prayer? I definitely have. The news can be so discouraging and I ask God where He is in all of it. I foolishly ask Him to see all of the sorrow and injustice, as if He isn’t already looking. I tell Him my heart is breaking, as if His heart isn’t even more broken than mine. I ask Him where He is and if He is listening, as if God doesn’t see all and know all and love more than I am capable of.

“Look around at the nations; look and be amazed!
For I AM DOING SOMETHING in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe even if someone told you about it.” – Habakkuk 1:5

God’s answer: Look around! There is evidence of my movement all around! I am never without a plan. Don’t try to fix the world around you of your own strength – trust in ME. Look for ME and seek MY plan. Be willing to do what I ask you, instead of depending on yourself. Be a part of MY plan instead of forcing your own.

Habakkuk was struggling with God’s plan. God was using the growing strength of the Babylonian nation to punish His people. The Babylonians were taking over much of the region, including Ninevah and the Assyrian nation. This idolatrous nation was growing in power and pressing in on the nation of Judah. With a sincere heart, Habakkuk made his struggles known to God and asked God again for answers.

“O Lord my God, my Holy One, you who are eternal – surely you do not plan to wipe up out?
O Lord, our Rock, you have sent these Babylonians to correct us, to punish us for our many sins.
But you are pure and cannot stand the sight of evil. Will you wink at their treachery?
Should you be silent while the wicked swallow up people more righteous than they?
Are we only fish to be caught and killed? Are we only sea creatures that have no leader?
Must we be strung up on their hooks and caught in their nets while they rejoice and celebrate?
Then they will worship their nets and burn incense in front of them.
‘These nets are the gods who have made us rich!’
Will you let them get away with this forever?
Will they succeed forever in their heartless conquests?
I will climb up on my watchtower and stand at my guardpost.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says and how he will answer my complaint.” – Habakkuk 1:12-2:1

God’s answer: My judgment may seem slow in coming but wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed. Those they are taking captive will one day taunt and mock them as they get what they deserve (2:3,6). “For as the waters fill the sea, the earth will be filled with an awareness of the glory of the Lord.” – Habakkuk 2:14

Habakkuk responds in song, praising God and praying for mercy for God’s people. Let’s use his song in Habakkuk 3 as we lift our voices to our Sovereign Lord this morning:

Lord, we have heard all about you and we are filled with awe by your amazing works.
In our time of deepest need, help us again just as you have in years past.
In your anger, remember your mercy.

We see YOU moving!!!
Your brilliant splendor fills the heavens and the earth is filled with your praise.
Your coming is as brilliant as the sunrise.
Rays of light flash from your hands, where your awesome power is hidden.
You are the Eternal One!

Was it in anger that you struck the rivers and parted the sea?
Were you displeased with them?
No, you were sending your chariots of salvation!
Lord, may your action save us and save our nation instead of destroying us for our sins.
Oh God, we trust in you!

Even though the fig trees have no blossoms, and there are no grapes on the vines;
Even though the olive crop fails, and the fields lie empty and barren;
Even though the flocks die in the fields, and the cattle barns are empty,
Yet I will rejoice in the Lord!
I will be joyful in the God of my salvation!
The Sovereign Lord is my strength!
He makes me as surefooted as a deer, able to tread upon the heights (3:17-19). Amen.

Zephaniah was a prophet during the days of King Josiah’s reign. Josiah’s father, King Amon, had been assassinated for his plans to rise against the oppression of the Assyrian nation. The leaders of Judah then killed those who had conspired against and assassinated King Amon, making his eight year old son Josiah the next king.

Can you imagine being king over the nation of Judah at only eight years of age? Although his father did what was evil in the eyes of the Lord, Josiah pleased God and followed the example of his ancestor David. He led the nation to make repairs to the Temple. When he read the Book of the Law and heard how God planned to punish His people for their idolatry and unfaithfulness, Josiah grieved the future of his nation. Josiah summoned all the elders and had the Book of the Covenant read aloud, calling the people of Judah to renew their covenant in the presence of God (2 Kings 21:19-23:3).

It was during this time that the prophet Zephaniah was also trying to move God’s people to renew their covenant relationship with God. He told of the coming judgment – of the day of the Lord. He spoke of how our jealous God would punish the wicked but how God’s faithful people would enjoy the home He has prepared for them.

“I will sweep away everything from the face of the earth,” says the Lord…
“I will crush Judah and Jerusalem with my fist and destroy every last trace of their Baal worship.
I will put an end to all the idolatrous priests, so that even the memory of them will disappear.
For they go up to their roofs and bow down to the sun, moon and stars.
They claim to follow the Lord, but then they worship Molech, too.
And I will destroy those who used to worship me but now longer do.
They no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance or seek my blessings.”
Stand in silence in the presence of the Sovereign Lord,
for the awesome day of the Lord’s judgment is near. – Zephaniah 1:2,4-7

This Scripture gets my attention when I think of the way our nation is pulling away from the foundations of faith on which it was built. “In God we Trust” is our motto but now prayer is vanishing from our places of government. There is a pride and self-reliance that has taken the place of yesterday’s humility and calling upon the Lord for strength. There is a call upon our nation to renew our covenant with the Lord.

“I will search with lanterns in Jerusalem’s darkest corners to punish those who sit complacent in their sins. They think the Lord will do nothing to them, either good or bad.” – Zephaniah 1:12

What sorrow awaits rebellious, polluted Jerusalem, the city of violence and crime!
No one can tell it anything; it refuses all correction.
It does not trust in the Lord or draw near to its God. – Zephaniah 3:1-2

What can we do? What would be God’s call to His people today? Perhaps similar to what He called His people to do in the days of the prophet Zephaniah:

GATHER TOGETHER – yes, gather together, you shameless nation.
Gather before judgment begins, before your time to repent is blown away like chaff.
ACT NOW, before the fierce fury of the Lord falls and the terrible day of the Lord’s anger begins.
SEEK THE LORD, all who are humble, and follow his commands.
Seek to do what is right and to live humbly.
Perhaps even yet the Lord will protect you – protect you from his anger on the day of destruction (2:1-3).

We can come together and unite our voices in petition and repentance for our nation. We can ask the Lord to remain with us and help us to turn the hearts of our nation back to Him. I found these verses encouraging:

But the Lord is still there in the city…
“Cheer up, Zion! Don’t be afraid!
For the Lord your God is living among you.
He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.
With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (3:5a,16-17)

“On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again.” – Zephaniah 3:20a

God’s message through the prophet Zephaniah is clear and leaves us with a choice. There is judgment for those who claim to follow the Lord but no longer worship Him – for those who no longer ask for the Lord’s guidance or seek His blessings. But when we humble ourselves and trust in the name of the Lord, he delights in us! We are surrounded by His love and our fears are calmed. Not only are we blessed with His presence, He rejoices over us with singing! What an incredible realization! The Lord is with us and He takes delight in us, expressing His joy in song when we trust in Him and humble ourselves in His presence.

Lord, we humbly seek you this morning. We seek to do what is right and to live humbly before you, as individuals and as a nation. Lord, forgive us for our pride and self-reliance. Forgive us for saying “In God We Trust” and then failing to trust in you or draw near to you. May your people gather together and unite to give you praise. May your presence in our lives, individually and as the body of Christ, make a difference in our nation. Lord, we pray for revival for our country. Mighty Savior, may you take delight today in your people and sing over us with joy. Amen.

The prophet Nahum helps us understand our God, how He is a loving God but also a just God. God is patient and forgiving but also a holy God who punishes sin.

The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his enemies! – Nahum 1:2

This is not exactly the way we usually think of God. We grow up singing of God’s love and memorizing John 3:16. How does our knowledge of a loving God fit with Nahum’s prophecies?

The Lord is slow to get angry, BUT his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished…
The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. BUT he will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue his foes into the darkness of night. – Nahum 1:3a,7-8

God is once again sending a message of judgment through one of his prophets, this time the judgment is against Israel & Judah’s enemy – the city of Ninevah, which is part of the country of Assyria. The empire of Assyria has grown strong and left a path of destruction across the land. Israel is one of many countries that has been defeated and captured by Assyria and now this victor is pressing in on Judah. Nahum’s prophecy against Judah’s enemy is coming at a good time – a time when they need to hear that God is powerful and will punish his enemies. The people of Ninevah had repented of their sins after Jonah came to them but they have again turned to wickedness. The prophet Nahum declared God’s judgment on the city – the city that was rich and appeared to the world as beautiful, but was full of evil. A city of murder and lies!

What sorrow awaits Nineveh, the city of murder and lies!
She is crammed with wealth and is never without victims.
Hear the crack of whips, the rumble of wheels!
Horses’ hooves pound, and charioteers charge past!
There are countless casualties, heaps of bodies – so many bodies that people stumble over them.
All this because Nineveh, the beautiful and faithless city, mistress of deadly charms, enticed the nations with her beauty.
She taught them all her magic, enchanting people everywhere.

“I am your enemy!” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
“And now I will lift your skirts and show all the earth your nakedness and shame.
I will cover you with filth and show the world how vile you really are.
All who see you will shrink back and say, ‘Nineveh lies in ruins. Where are the mourners?’
Does anyone regret your destruction?” – Nahum 3:1-7

Scriptures like this convince me that God will someday put an end to the many industries leaving a path of destruction behind them, like pornography and abortion. They glamourize themselves and collect their riches, but God sees that they are surrounded by those they have destroyed – He hears the cries of the babies who never had the chance to be born. He hears the cries of the men and women who have been deceived and lied to. He sees the wounds of those who have been abused and mistreated.

The abortion industry has convinced society to consider abortion socially acceptable, a good option for women. The government pours money into their pockets. Good organizations like Susan G. Komen have been caught in their web of deceit and cannot get out unharmed. Every year, well-meaning individuals raise money for the cause of breast cancer research, only to have their money go to an industry that profits from the death of 1.3 million babies a year in the US.

The stench of death surrounds us and the world continues to shout their praises. BUT God, God will sweep over his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue his foes into the darkness of night (1:8).

The Lord is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage.
He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his enemies!
The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished…
In his presence the mountains quake, and the hills melt away;
The earth trembles, and its people are destroyed.
Who can stand before his fierce anger?
Who can survive his burning fury?
His rage blazes forth like fire, and the mountains crumble to dust in his presence. – Nahum 1:1-3a,5-6

Lord, we thank you for being a God of power – a God aware of the hurts, pains and injustices of this world. Lord, forgive us as a nation who allows and promotes the death of those who cannot defend themselves. Strengthen us and equip us to protect with the power of Your love and to speak Your truth to this lost and dying world. Expose evil empires that veil themselves as if to appear beautiful. Lord, break our hearts over what breaks yours and calm our troubled hearts. Oh God, we trust in You for You are the God of love and the God of justice. Amen.

The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes.
He is close to those who trust in him (1:7)

It has been so heartbreaking this week to watch families going through the rubble that used to be their home. The insurance companies are coming to the rescue and they will soon have an even nicer home than they first had but, in the meantime, they sift through the rubble in hopes of finding all that has survived the storm. Their God is with them but they will have to wait patiently as their home is rebuilt to what it once was. This is similar to Israel’s experience. God had a plan to rebuild His people but first they would have to go through difficult consequences. They would have to walk through the ruins before they found redemption.

Up! Begone! This is no longer your land and home, for you have filled it with sin and RUINED it completely (Micah 2:10).

God had made a covenant with His people and they had ignored their promises and His faithfulness. He brought them out of Egypt to the land of Canaan, yet they chose to walk away from His plan for them. They rejected God and demanded an earthly king. He told them to serve Him only and to have no other gods before Him, yet they worshipped false gods and bowed to idols. They put themselves on the throne where God was meant to reign. The result – RUINS!

I will bring you to RUIN for all your sins.
You will eat but never have enough.
Your hunger pangs and emptiness will remain.
And though you try to save money, it will come to nothing in the end…
You will plant crops but not harvest them.
You will press your olives but not get enough oil to anoint yourselves.
You will trample the grapes but get no juice to make your wine…
I will make an example of you, bring you to complete RUIN (6:13-16a).

God’s people used His covenant with them as an excuse to sin. They said, “No harm will come to us for the Lord is here among us” (3:11). This is Micah’s response to them, his call to RIGHTEOUSNESS – not their own effort to save themselves but their submission to God’s call to be righteous:

“Listen, you leaders of Israel! You are supposed to know right from wrong, but you are the very ones who hate good and love evil…Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble! Do you really expect him to answer? After all the evil you have done, he won’t even look at you!” – Micah 3:1,4

God had a message for His people – one of REBUKE and REDEMPTION:

“O my people, what have I done to you?
What have I done to make you tired of me?
Answer me!
For I brought you out of Egypt and REDEEMED you from slavery.
I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam to help you.
Don’t you REMEMBER…
REMEMBER your journey…
When I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness.” – Micah 6:3-5

The response of God’s people was REMORSE. They REPENTED of their sins and inquired of the necessary RETRIBUTION:

What can we bring to the Lord?
What kind of offerings should we give him?
Should we bow before God with offerings of yearling calves?
Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?
Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins? – (6:6-7)

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he REQUIRES of you:
to do what is right,
to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with your God. – Micah 6:8

But among the RUINS was a glimmer of hope – a promise that God would again RESCUE and RESTORE His people:

“Someday, O Israel, I will gather the remnant who are left.
I will bring you together again like sheep in a pen, like a flock in its pasture.
Yes, your land will again be filled with noisy crowds!
Your leader will break out and lead you out of exile, out through the gates of the enemy cities, back to your own land.
Your king will lead you; the Lord himself will guide you.” – Micah 2:12-13

I love this RESPONSE to the hope given by God:

As for me, I look to the Lord for help.
I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me…
Though I sit in darkness, the Lord will be my light.
I will be patient as the Lord punishes me, for I have sinned against him (7:7-9).

I hate being punished. It is so awful to be called out on an error and have to admit you were wrong. I have no problem apologizing but suffering the consequences of my mistakes or sins is miserable. I’m so thankful I serve a God who rescues and restores me when I repent of my sins in true remorse. I look to you for help, Oh Lord – my God will certainly hear me. When I am surrounded by darkness, the Lord is my light. I can survive the ruins because I am not alone. My God, you are with me on this path to redemption. Thank you for being this king of loving God!!! Amen.