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Even when my heart is breaking…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:15 You may say, “The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon,”   

Seventy years in exile doesn’t sound like a picnic, but God has told the exiles that He wants them to live–marry, have children, build houses, encourage the children to marry and have children–to become a part of life in exile. He tells them that He will hear them when they pray, they will find Him when they seek Him faithfully. They are in exile, but He is still with them.

Jeremiah 29:16 but this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David’s throne and all the people who remain in this city, your fellow citizens who did not go with you into exile—

However, those left behind, those not in exile, will face sword, famine, and plague. They will be made abhorrent to the kings on earth. Even though at first blush exile seems like a punishment, in light of today’s verses, it definitely seems the better option.

Jeremiah 29:17 yes, this is what the Lord Almighty says: “I will send the sword, famine and plague against them and I will make them like figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten.

Lord, When I am focused on the disappointment of my plans, it is hard for me to think about Your plan and the things you might be protecting me from, saving me from, by not allowing my plans to come to fruition. It’s hard to thank You for my broken dreams. But I know You love me–deeply, fiercely, eternally. I know You want Your best for me. Help me to trust You always, even when my heart is breaking. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:18 I will pursue them with the sword, famine and plague and will make them abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth, a curse and an object of horror, of scorn and reproach, among all the nations where I drive them. 

Have a blessed day.

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Even though…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

The overarching message I get from Jeremiah 29 thus far is that even though God has sent the Israelites into exile, even though He has said He will leave them there for 70 years, He isn’t abandoning them. He doesn’t want them miserable. He isn’t inaccessible to them.

Jeremiah 29:14a I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and will bring you back from captivity.

Even though He has sent them away, He hasn’t turned His back on them. He wants them to marry, have children, become a part of the community. He wants them to seek Him, to pray to Him. Even though this move is not what the Israelites want, it is part of God’s master plan. They can trust Him. He is with them even now.

Jeremiah 29:14b …I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the Lord,

Lord, I struggle with so much in this text–the need for people to be exiled, the length of the exile, the fact that You tell them to wait, for 70 years, in joyful hope, giving their all each day. What I don’t struggle with is that You are still with them. You still love them deeply. You still listen to their prayers. Help me to cling to what I know–Your deep and abiding love. Help me to trust. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:14c …“and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Have a blessed day.

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Clinging to His promises…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.  

Verses 11, 12, and 13 have always filled me with such hope and joy, but verse 10 sure is a conversation stopper, isn’t it? My humanity gets caught up on the reality of seventy years–SEVENTY YEARS–in exile.

Jeremiah 29:11 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.

In His sovereignty, this news is positive because it is truth–this exile won’t be quick as false prophets claim, but there will be an end. And even in exile, even though all that is familiar is far away, God still has a plan for them, He still hears them when they pray, He is still present if they seek Him with all their hearts.

Jeremiah 29:12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 

Lord, There is so much that I don’t understand, but I trust You. I don’t like the idea of separation, but I recognize that there are things that I do that push me away from You. I don’t like waiting, but I know that my timing and Your timing are not the same. I don’t like pain and heartache, but I know that I am limited by my earthly understanding. Help me to remember that Your thoughts are nothing like my thoughts, and Your ways are far beyond anything I can imagine (Isaiah 55:8). Help me to cling to Your promises. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 

Have a blessed day.

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God says wait…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:7a Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile….

Everything about this passage seems to reinforce the idea that God says wait. The exiles are told to, essentially, get comfortable, settle in, make the best of it where they are. They are instructed to pray that their home in exile prospers because if it does, they will, too.

Jeremiah 29:7b …Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

That seems a pretty hard pill to swallow. But underlying all of this instruction is an unspoken promise from God: I am with you. I have a plan for you. If you trust and obey, you will prosper. Trust Me. Trust Me. Trust Me.

Jeremiah 29:8 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.

Lord, It is so incredibly difficult when I want to live big, dream big, and you tell me to wait and to trust. Help me to live joyfully this day, exactly where You have me. Help me to trust in Your sovereignty, Your mercy, Your love and goodness. Give me peace like a river as I wait in joyful hope for You. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:9 They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them,” declares the Lord.

Have a blessed day.

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Content in this day…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 29:4 This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:  

When I want something, I am afraid I can get a little Veruca Salt about it (think Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Hands on hips, stomping foot, “I want it NOW!”) Can’t we all? However, we don’t always get what we want (cue the Rolling Stones), and in today’s scripture, the exiles certainly didn’t get their first choice.

Jeremiah 29:5 “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.

I feel pretty certain that they would not have chosen to live in exile, building, settling, planting, harvesting, consuming, marrying, having and raising children to marry off so that they too can repeat the cycle. All of this in exile. But God has a plan.

Jeremiah 29:6 Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters.

Precious Savior, Forgive me when I get so invested in my own plan that Yours seems like an inconvenience. Help me to trust You, always, even when it’s not what I want. Help me to never forget Your deep abiding love for me. Help me to be content in this day exactly where you have me. Amen.

Jeremiah 29:6b …Increase in number there; do not decrease.

Have a blessed day.

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Precious Savior, Dearest Father, Loving God… (devo reflection)

John 17:24 “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

Precious Savior, Today I just want to say Thank You–for blue skies and sunshine, for the fall season, which shows me that change can be incredibly beautiful (even though I still don’t love change), for the people You have placed in my life whom I love so deeply, who love me deeply, too.

John 17:25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 

Dearest Father, Thank You that when we are slogging through valleys, when difficult times come, and they always do, You use them to draw Your children closer in ways that aren’t possible when we are on the mountain tops. I don’t like the hard times, but I am so thankful for the closeness to You that results.

John 17:26a I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known…

Loving God, Thank You that You created me to praise You and to encourage others. Thank You that words matter and that I can use them to edify others. Thank You that I can lift others, encourage others, even when I am struggling, and that I am always encouraged in return. Thank You, Lord. Thank You. Amen.

John 17:26b …in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.”

Have a blessed day.

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For those who will believe in me through their message…. (devo reflection)

John 17:20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 

“I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message….” What an incredibly powerful prayer. Jesus, as He was preparing to give His life for us, prayed for His disciples and for “those who will believe in me through their message.” That’s us and everyone whose lives we touch as we tell about our mighty Savior.

John 17:21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 

This is why we can’t discount people. This is why we can’t ostracize others. We have no idea who will come to believe in Jesus because of our words. None. And as He neared the hour of His death, Jesus not only prayed for His disciples AND for us, He prayed for them, too. All of those folks who will eventually come to believe in Him, no matter how long it might take.

John 17:22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 

Precious Savior, Thank You for seeing the value in all of us. Thank You for Your prayers in the time leading up to Your death. Thank You for the hope of heaven, the hope of You. Help us recognize that hope in all whom we encounter. Always. Amen.

John 17:23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

Have a blessed day.

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Honest, open, humble, direct…. (devo reflection)

John 17:16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.   

What strikes me about today’s verses is the short, choppy nature of each verse. Brief. Staccato. Sharp. Was Jesus emphasizing His point? Was He in a hurry to say all He needed and wanted to say?

John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.

His pattern here is truth, prayer, truth, truth. It’s not fancy. It’s not elaborate. But He said everything He needed to say, submitted His request before God. I can learn a lot from this prayer.

John 17:18 As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.

Lord, Thank You for continuing to reveal Your truth to me. Thank You that I don’t have to be overly elaborate or fancy when I come to You in prayer. I need to be honest, open, humble, direct. Thank You. Amen.

John 17:19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

Have a blessed day.

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While I am still in the world…. (devo reflection)

John 17:13 “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.  

This world is not my home. And there are times when I feel so strongly out of place in this world that the pain is almost physical. But there are other times when I am truly thankful that I feel so out of sync because it is easy to turn my back on the pull of the world.

John 17:14a I have given them your word and the world has hated them, 

I find it interesting in today’s scripture that Jesus says specifically that His prayer is not that God take us out of the world–even though we don’t belong, even though it’s not our home–His prayer is that God protect us from “the evil one.” Perhaps that feeling of not belonging here, of longing for our true home is important for our spiritual journey.

John 17:14b …for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your fierce, compassionate love and for Your prayers long before we were born. Thank You for the reminder that this world is not our home. Help us to accomplish Your will for us while we are here. But help us never forget that we don’t belong here. There is a better place for us, an eternal home with You. Amen.

John 17:15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.

Have a blessed day.

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The image of Jesus as parent…. (devo reflection)

John 17:9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. 

Verse 9 really strikes me this morning. Jesus prayed for us. JESUS prayed for us. Jesus PRAYED for us. Jesus prayed for US. Let that sink in a moment.

John 17:10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. 

The image of Jesus as parent is really strong for me today. Jesus prayed for His children. He knew he would not remain in the world but His children would stay without Him. He prayed God would protect His children by the power of His name.

John 17:11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. 

Lord, There’s so much spinning in my head this morning: You prayed for me. You see me as Your child. You knew You would not be physically in this world with me so You prayed God’s protection on me. You are Immanuel, God with us. Thank You. Help me to love others as well as You have always loved me. Amen.

John 17:12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

Have a blessed day.