Daily Devotional for November 18, 2015
Jeremiah 37
Scripture:
1 Zedekiah son of Josiah was made king of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon; he reigned in place of Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim. 2 Neither he nor his attendants nor the people of the land paid any attention to the words the LORD had spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. 3 King Zedekiah, however, sent Jehucal son of Shelemiah with the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to Jeremiah the prophet with this message: “Please pray to the LORD our God for us.” 4 Now Jeremiah was free to come and go among the people, for he had not yet been put in prison. 5 Pharaoh’s army had marched out of Egypt, and when the Babylonians who were besieging Jerusalem heard the report about them, they withdrew from Jerusalem. 6 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet: 7 “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Tell the king of Judah, who sent you to inquire of me, ‘Pharaoh’s army, which has marched out to support you, will go back to its own land, to Egypt. 8 Then the Babylonians will return and attack this city; they will capture it and burn it down.’ 9 “This is what the LORD says: Do not deceive yourselves, thinking, ‘The Babylonians will surely leave us.’ They will not!
Observation:
When trouble arrives the response of the Spirit-Empowered Man is to turn to the Lord for help and direction. Interestingly, it appears that everyone, not only disciples, seek the Lord’s help in these times. This is so true for us today. How often have people asked for prayer or acknowledged the Lord in these times of trouble? The Fire Bible covers this passage well.
Jeremiah 37:3, “Though Zedekiah refused to pay attention to what the Lord had said through Jeremiah (v.2), he wanted Jeremiah to pray for Judah, hoping in some way to gain the Lord’s favor. Zedekiah was like many today who want God’s help, yet at the same time they insist on enjoying the world’s sinful pleasures. Such people have a superficial religion but no real relationship with God. Yet when trouble comes, they call on God, expecting to receive his help. Like Zedekiah, they will be disappointed (vv. 6-9).”
It could be very easy to fall into a judgmental or a resentful attitude when we see people do this. I would encourage you to keep your heart open to hearing from the Holy Spirit in these moments. The Lord may want to use you to speak or represent Him in some way. It is God’s desire that every person would know Him personally as Lord. This may be the first step for someone to begin their own personal discipleship journey. How cool would it be if God used you in that moment to help them?
Application:
- Personal Application: It is not for us to judge or determine a person’s status with the Lord. We must protect our hearts from being critical of someone’s response to the Lord regardless of the situation or motivation. As a Spirit-Empowered Man, we should be ready to love, serve, and help others in their time of need. God can use any situation to wake someone up and bring them into a personal relationship with Him.
- Family Devotional: Read this passage to your family. Encourage them to do your best to love, serve, and help people in their time of need. Be willing to be used to show others the grace of God. Talk about any opportunities to do this. Pray with them.
Prayer:
- Personal Prayer Focus: Ask God to speak to the hearts of those who are crying out to God for help in a season of trouble or struggle regardless of their motivation.
- Family Prayer Focus: Pray that your family will always be willing and able to love, serve, and help those who are struggling and needing God to do something significant in their lives.
Three Year Reading Plan for Sunday, November 15 – Sunday, November 22:
- Sunday, November 15: Jeremiah 34
- Monday, November 16: Jeremiah 35
- Tuesday, November 17: Jeremiah 36
- Wednesday, November 18: Jeremiah 37
- Thursday, November 19: Jeremiah 38
- Friday, November 20: Jeremiah 39
- Saturday, November 21: Jeremiah 40
- Sunday, November 22: Jeremiah 41
—TOM GROOT is National Director of Men’s Ministry and Christian Education. Connect with Tom on Facebook or Twitter @TomGrootJr.
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