Monday, September 17, 2007

Opportunistic Man-Eating Lions


"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 a 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."
--Jeremiah 29:11-14b

Verse eleven of the twenty ninth chapter of Jeremiah is one of the most popular verses that Christians hold onto, right next to John 3:16. We hold onto it like precious gold, pegging all of our dreams of prosperity in verse eleven, stating believing that will only allow the best of things to come into our lives. The entire context of the verses around and the book of Jeremiah is missed.

The Penalty For Sin
Judah has been ransacked, the temple of the Lord has been destroyed, the people of the Lord are in Babylonian captivity, working as slaves to a tyrannical dictator, torn from their homes, security, and all sense of normality. They had forgotten their first love, turned from the worship of the one true God and for generations, sought other gods, disobeyed his commands, and rebelled against Him in their hearts. After years of gentle discipline our just and loving God could no longer allow the patterns of sin to continue, and used the ungodly force of king Nebuchadnezzar and his armies to disciple Israel. Now, why did this happen? I thought "God is Love" (1 John 4:8b)? Well, but God is also just and "yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished." (Exodus 34:7b).

Blessings and Hope Despite the Circumstances
In verses 4 - 10 in chapter 29 the Lord instructs the people of Israel to "build houses and settle down; plant gardens. . . Marry and have sons and daughters . . . seek peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile." He continues to admonish and exhort Israel to seek Him and prosper while in the midst of a foreign land and to work towards the day they will be returned back to the land of their forefathers. He promises to bless them, restore them, and protect them.

Relevant Then, Relevant Today
Maybe today you are facing a situation in your life that seems impossible. You, like myself, might have made a few poor choices that have put you in a state of captivity to your lifestyle. Financial uncertainties, addictions, poor health, an unsatisfying career, loneliness, fear, past hurts, future worries, a lack of security in your heart, lacking a sense of purpose. . . I could go on.

The Lord promised the people of Israel that in what could appear to be their darkest hour, that if they would seek Him, they would find Him. He would hear their prayer, and restore them. God never promised it would be easy; sin always has its consequences, but He promised that he would never leave nor forsake them. Never forget the promises of restoration.


"God is in the resume building business he is always using past experiences to prepare us for future opportunities. But those God-given opportunities often come disguised as man-eating lions. And how we react when we encounter these lions will determine our destiny. We can cower in fear and run away from our greatest challenges, or we can chase our God ordained destiny by chasing our God ordained opportunity." [ Quote taken from In a Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day]

2 comments:

Erika said...

Great blog, Brandon! Glad you joined us :) Who said that last quote you used?

Unknown said...

Its from a book called In A Pit With a Lion on a Snowy Day
I have not had the pleasure of reading it yet, but might pick it up in a few days.
Pastor James Patterson (97 West) referenced in in the "Choices,failure risk, part II" podcast from 5-8-07