Jeremiah 23:23-24

“I am a God who is near,” says the Lord, “and not a God afar off. Can a man hide in secret, and I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the Lord.

Encouraging Words

I have often heard this message expounded on in the negative, that God is watching everything that we are doing so that He can punish us for our sins. I prefer to see the message here that God is always there for me when I need Him, which is all the time. He is there to support and encourage me, to love me, and to help me in times of trouble and temptation to make the right choices. The real question to ask is, “Am I near to Him?” Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

Jeremiah 17:3-4 (17:7-8)

But blessed is the man who puts his trust in the Lord, for the Lord shall be his hope. He shall be like a flourishing tree alongside the waters which spreads its roots toward the moisture. He will not fear when the burning heat comes, for He shall be like the root in a grove in the year of drought. He shall not fear, for he shall be like a tree that does not cease yielding its fruit.

Command with a Promise

We are charged to put our trust and hope in our Lord. This does not mean that we put our trust in some person, some political leader, a political party or other organi­zation, or the stuff that we have acquired. We are to put our hope and trust in our Lord only. What is the promise that goes with this charge? We will flourish like a tree planted by the banks of water. We will not fear… anything. We will grow in Christ and produce fruit. Glory be to God!

Jeremiah 15:16

Make an end to them, and Your word shall be the gladness and joy of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord, the Almighty.

Encouraging Words

For those of us who proclaim Jesus as our Lord and strive to follow in His footsteps, He is our gladness and joy. We know that He holds us in His loving arms and gives us life eternal. He will put an end to the trials and tribulations of this temporal life and those who perpetrate them. Glory be to God!

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Instead, let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows that I am the Lord, who shows mercy, judgment, and righteousness on earth, for in these is My will,” says the Lord. “Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, “that I will visit upon all the circumcised their uncircumcision.”

Personal Challenge

So who is this warning targeted at? Who is this “circumcised” that Jeremiah is talking about? In the day that Jeremiah gave this prophecy, the circumcised would be his fellow Jews. In today’s day, it would be those who proclaim Jesus as their Lord. So, what is the uncircumcision that they will be shown? Jesus and the apostles taught that under the new covenant, the covenant of the new law ushered in by Jesus we no longer need to be circumcised in the flesh to be God’s people, but that our hearts need to be circumcised, or set apart In Him. Jeremiah is pointing out that if we are not living our lives God’s way, we will be shown our uncircumcision. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

THRONE AND FOOTSTOOL

Isaiah 66:1-2

Thus says the Lord: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is the footstool of My feet. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or what kind is the place of My rest? For My hand made all these things, and all these things are Mine,” says the Lord; “and upon whom will I show respect, but to the humble and the peaceful and to him who trembles at My words.” 

Encouraging Words

The prophet Isaiah dearly articulates that our God has heaven as His throne and the earth as His footstool. His glory and magnitude exceed everything that we can conceive. And yet He chooses the humble and submissive heart to dwell in. He chooses the lowly to lift up. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner! Glory to You!

Isaiah 60:1-2

“Shine, shine, O Jerusalem, for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. Behold, darkness and gloom shall cover the earth upon the nations, but the Lord will shine on you; and His glory shall be seen upon you.”

Encouraging Words

Ever since Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, there has been a veil of darkness over Gods’ creation. It is soiled. It is broken. And everyone of us throughout the history of mankind have also been soiled and broken… except for One. Jesus Christ was born into this fallen world just like the rest of us. The difference, however, was that His Father was of heaven and not of earth. He was, and is, fully human and fully God. He is the one that has shone the light of God into this dark world and removed all darkness and gloom. In Him we can be living in God’s Kingdom today. Glory be to God!

Isaiah 58:11

God shall be with you continually, and you shall be satisfied as your soul desires. Your bones shall be enriched, and you shall be like a well-watered garden and like a spring of water that does not fail. Your bones will arise and be enriched like a green plant, and they shall inherit generations of generations.

Encouraging Words

If we choose to heed the words from the verses before this one and be the people, both individually and collectively, that the verses call us to be, then we will see the blessings of God. He will be with us continually. Our soul will be satisfied, not by achieving or acquiring much in this world, but by becoming aligned with God’s desires. Our health will be enriched, not that we won’t encounter trials and tribulations in this world, but that He will strengthen us to endure and overcome them. We, and the generations coming up behind us, will be enriched by Him. Glory be to God!