Up until now Jeremiah’s prophecies have been filled with gloom and despair. Now in this section, called the “The Book of Consolation”, the prophet poetically describes the restoration of Israel and Judah after the time know as “Jacob’s distress” (vs. 30:7). He relays God’s promises to return the people to their land, to reunite them as a nation, establish with them a new covenant, and through them, bless the world with our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus.
Because of their continued disobedience, God pronounced judgement on the people of Israel and Judah. Their cities would be burned, their homes destroyed, and the people carried off into bondage, scattered throughout the lands. For seventy years they endured a storm of homelessness, oppression, persecution, and slavery. Yet through it all God never left them, never forsook them, never stopped loving them, and never let them go.
We all face storms in our lives. Times when the rain pours, and the wind rages. And whether the Lord allows these storms because He’s trying to teach us, or like Israel, to bring us to repentance, remember this. Though you may feel lost and battered, God is always in control. And when the pain feels unbearable and the fear overwhelming, we can cling to the same promises God spoke through Jeremiah to the exiled Jews.
You Are Not Alone! “For I am with you, declares the Lord, to save you” (vs. 30:11) Although God may not take away the consequences of our sin, we can be confident that no matter the storm we endure, He will see us safely through to the other side. He will never forsake nor abandon us for we are His, and He calls us by name! (Is. 43:1)
His Love Is Forever! “The Lord appeared to Him from above saying ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have drawn you with lovingkindness’” (vs. 31:3) God’s love for us is perfect and eternal. There is no sin too great that, when we confess and repent, the Lord will not forgive. His love is also unconditional and unwavering. It remains the same whether the sun shines, or the rain falls, and nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from that love. (Rom. 8:31-39)
No Storm Is Greater Than God! “Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You” (vs. 32:17) Even during the heaviest of downpours, when we can see no way out, God does. For as Luke 1:37 tells us, nothing is impossible for the Lord. He knows the first raindrop to the last, and won’t allow the cloudburst to last a minute longer than needed to fulfill His purpose.
God instructed Jeremiah to write a book containing His promises of deliverance and restoration. A book the people could turn to for hope while they waited for the storm to pass. He gives us a book as well...the Holy Bible. In it we’ll find the same promises of hope, deliverance, and restoration.
No matter what you may be going through, trust in God to shelter you from the storm until it passes and the sun shines again. And remember, the One who created the storm, also created the rainbow that is sure to follow.
