Sunday, February 14, 2010

What God Can Do

Jeremiah 46:13-28

Vs. 1 – “Declare in Egypt, and proclaim in Migdol; proclaim in Noph and in Taphanhes; say, ‘Stand fast and prepare yourselves, for the sword devours all around you.’ “

[Our Father in Heaven wants to do a work in our lives, but it won’t be easy. We must stand fast in the Lord and prepare ourselves for the battle that will be waged all around our souls.]

Vs. 2 – “Why are your valiant men swept away? They did not stand because the Lord drove them away.”

[There are “valiant men” in our lives, in whom we have trusted, who are going to be done away with. I do not speak of actual men, but desires of the heart, motivations, or dreams we have trusted in.]

Vs. 3 – “He made many fall; yes, one fell upon another. And they said, ‘Arise! Let us go back to our own people and to the land of our nativity from the oppressing sword.’ “

Vs. 4 – “They cried there, ‘Pharoah, King of Egypt, is but a noise. He has passed by the appointed time!’ “

[The Lord will drive the oppressors away, and they will go and not return. Pharoah, their leader, is but a noise. Though our dreams may seem very important to us, and seem secure, they are nothing but vapor. Yet, at the same time, they keep us in bondage, so that we can’t live in God’s perfect will or serve our Lord with everything we have and everything we are.]

Vs. 20 – “Egypt is a very pretty heifer, but destruction comes, it comes from the north.”

[Many times our dreams are very beautiful: dreams of a godly spouse and Christ-centered home; of reaching the lost and starting churches on the foreign mission field; of starting a Christ-centered orphanage or homeless shelter… the list could go on. But even a beautiful dream can be an oppressor if we begin to place our confidence in the dream instead of in the Lord.]

Vs. 27 & 28 - "But do not fear, O My servant Jacob, And do not be dismayed, O Israel! For behold, I will save you from afar, and your offspring from the land of their captivity; Jacob shall return, have rest and be at ease; no one shall make him afraid. Do not fear, oh Jacob My servant," says the LORD, "For I am with you; for I will make a complete end of all the nations to which I have driven you, but I will not make a complete end of you. I will rightly correct you, for I will not leave you wholly unpunished."

[Though God may take away something that we are very fond of, we can be assured that He is working to bring glory to His name and beauty to our lives. He is our Heavenly Father, and He loves us; and because He loves us, He will correct us when we’re wrong. But no matter what you’re going through, or what you’re losing or giving up… even if your world seems to be falling apart, and the sword devours all around you… remember that God is bigger than anything that’s happening to you, and He will make good come out of it in the end, if you let Him.]

4 comments:

Nicole said...

So very true, my brother. I can see the Lord has been doing much in your heart lately. Thank you for the encouragment to keep looking to Jesus and to lay everything at His feet. And in turn I would encourage you to remember Job...though it seemed he lost everything, he was rewarded double for his faithfulness. Keep trusting Jesus, Jonathan. He will provide everything you NEED in due season. Love you, brother.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, good thoughts, Jonathan... it's so good to hear some of what's been going through your mind. I love you big brother!

Gary said...

Any news?

;-P

Anonymous said...

*DING DONG*!!!!! EARTH TO JONO! Let's hear what's happening in your life!!!!

;-)