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But what can I do? (devo reflection)

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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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On weariness and choices…. (devo reflection)

Matthew 11:28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 
Weary is a good description today. I haven’t slept well in two days, I’m behind on my grading (no surprise), and I got up early (because I couldn’t sleep anyway) only to find that I can’t grade because the internet is down. And it’s only Wednesday.
Matthew 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 
But I know I have a choice. I can devolve into a temper tantrum of 2-year-old proportions, or I can turn to Jesus. I can lament the things I can’t check off my list this morning, or I can draw closer to Him.
Isaiah 40:31 But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. 
Jesus, I am weary. This morning isn’t going at all the way I planned. Help me to choose You instead of frustration. Help me to draw closer to You instead of falling apart. Help me to find rest in Your presence. Amen.
Jeremiah 31:25 For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” 
Have a blessed day.
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Relax and enjoy the present moment…. (devo reflection)

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.”

I woke up this morning worrying about something utterly inconsequential. And while I understood the inconsequential nature of the worry, I was unable to put it aside. It gnawed at me. And then my morning reflection (Jesus Calling) included this much needed gem: “If you trust that My plans are to prosper you and not to harm you, you can relax and enjoy the present moment.”

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…

Worry consumes so much of my time. To relax and enjoy the present moment sounds wonderful. The ability to trust Him with my future, to relax from All. The. Worry, that’s something *I* have complete control over. So why is it so ridiculously hard for me to let go of control, to give up the worrying, fretting, fearing and trust that God has got me? I *know* He’s got me. Truly. So why do I struggle so with letting go and trusting Him?

Proverbs 3:6 …in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the reminder once again that You have got me, that I can trust You and Your plan for me. Help me to relax, to let go of worry and control so that I can enjoy this precious life You have given me. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Philippians 4:6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Have a blessed day.

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Graduation Day…. (devo reflection)

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.

My oldest graduates from high school today. I am so incredibly proud of that kid because of the growth and maturity that I see in him. When I look at where he was in 6th grade, 8th grade, 9th grade, I can see how far he’s come. He has a good, compassionate heart, a sound brain in his head. He loves God. He loves people.

Philippians 1:9 I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.

I know that I have done what I could to give him a firm foundation, but I understand in a new light the protective mama instinct. I also understand in a new light the fact that my children are God’s, not ours. The hubs and I, our village, can’t truly protect them from life. All we can do is love them, root them in God, pray for them (A LOT), trust God with them.

Philippians 1:10 For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return.

Lord, It has been an honor and a privilege to raise the young man who will walk across the stage this evening. Help him to know that You are with him, that we love and support him, that it’s ok to fail as long as you get up and try again, that You can use all things for his good and Your glory. Thank You for the village that continues to help us love, support, and nurture him. Thank You for the plans You have for him. Help him to know You are with him every step of the way. Amen.

Philippians 1:11 May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.

Have a blessed day.

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The struggle…. (devo reflection)

Jeremiah 17:5 This is what the Lord says: “Cursed is the one who trusts in man, who draws strength from mere flesh and whose heart turns away from the Lord.

Lord, The picture you create here is so clear, so vivid. Those who trust in man, in themselves, are “cursed,” doomed to wander in “the wastelands,” “parched,” dried up, abandoned. No part of that picture is appealing, and yet, even though I *know,* I KNOW You are with me always, You are working all things for my good and Your glory, even though I know these truths, I struggle to trust, I struggle with doubt and fear.

Jeremiah 17:6 That person will be like a bush in the wastelands; they will not see prosperity when it comes. They will dwell in the parched places of the desert, in a salt land where no one lives.

Lord, I do trust You, I DO, and yet I am so consumed by doubt and fear at times. We have dealt with this very issue again and again and again, You and I. My inner critic wants to beat myself up for my inability to “Let go and let God,” but I know that’s not helpful. You are my refuge and strength, Lord, my ever present help in times of trouble. My head understands this, as does my heart, but still I am afraid.

Jeremiah 17:7 “But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.

Lord, I know “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3). I want Your peace so desperately. And I know *I* am the one who has to fully surrender this fear so that I can take up Your mantle of peace. Help me, Jesus. Help me. Amen.

Jeremiah 17:8 They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.”

Have a blessed day. I love you.