We can be the most productive people on the planet when it comes to avoiding something we don’t want to do. Have you ever noticed that? When I have a book deadline, and I really need to be writing, I can find so many things that need to be done before I get to actually writing. They can be good things, but they still keep me from what I’m supposed to be doing.
Martha and Her Good Deeds
In the story of Mary and Martha, we see first-hand how this plays out. We know that Mary chose to spend time with Jesus, but Martha was too busy. We’re hard on Martha, but have you ever had people over? I can sympathize with Martha. When you’re the one hosting the party or get-together, there’s a lot to do. She needed to make sure everything was ready to go, and she needed her sister’s help to pull it off.
Martha settled for good when she could have had best. Jesus, the Son of God, was coming to her house to visit with her. She could sit next to him and learn from Him. What an amazing opportunity! But she chose to do something good–cooking for Jesus. That was good, really good. How many people got to feed Jesus and take care of Him when He came over? Yet, this good thing kept her from the best thing–spending time learning from Jesus.
As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”
Luke 10:38-40
Distracted by Good Things
One of the ways Satan manipulates us is by sidetracking us with good things. Those things, in and of themselves are not bad. In fact, they’re really good. But when something keeps us from doing what we know we need to do, it becomes a bad thing.
Over the years, people always come to Matt and I with the reasons they missed church. We really don’t need to know, but people feel like they have to confess it to us. So many times, it’s not bad things that keep people away. It’s good things, but it kept them from coming to church.
Settling for Good
I’ve had a few times recently when different people have reached out to me because they feel discouraged or frustrated with life, and yet, they miss church or small group. Or they can’t seem to find time to read their Bible. They’re so discouraged, and yet they don’t go to the place where they can find encouragement and hope. They’re so lonely, and yet, they don’t come to a place where they can fellowship and be encouraged.
Satan keeps us distracted with good things. Instead of going for best, we settle for good. All the while we’re missing out on God’s best for us. We spend Sunday morning with that person who’s having a hard time, thinking we’re being a blessing to them. In reality, the best thing we could have done was go to church so we could get filled up. Then go visit them. We skip our morning time routine because we want to get more accomplished in our morning. Yet, everything falls apart around us because we didn’t spend time with God; and we end up getting nothing accomplished anyway.
As you’re moving through life, watch out for those distractions that Satan sends that are good but not the best. Hold out for God’s best and stay focused on following His leading. He’ll never lead you wrong.
More Encouragement
For more encouragement on this topic, check out Lisa TerKeurst’s book, The Best Yes.
Last week, my family and I made the trip from Pennsylvania down to South Carolina to see our new nephew. We didn’t leave until after church, so it got really late while we were traveling. We were on all back roads for the last hour or so of our trip, and all we had to go on was the map on our phone.
Driving in the Dark
Have you ever driven late at night to a place you don’t know? You can barely see the roads, and you just hope that if you follow these directions you will make it to your location. It’s all on a hope, a wing, and a prayer. You make it to your destination, and it feels foreign and out of place.
That all changes the next morning when the sun comes out. When the sun lights up the world, everything is good. You made it to your destination, and all is well.
Trusting in the Dark
Our life of faith is a little like that. There are times when everything is dark, and we can’t find our way. We feel lost, alone, and unsure if we’re heading in the right direction. It’s during these times, that we have to trust God. We have to trust, even when we can’t see our way. We keep going, keep trusting, keep spending time with God in our morning time routine. Keep taking it just one day at a time.
If you’re in a time like this right now, don’t lose hope. Even though everything feels difficult right now, it won’t always be this way. Eventually, this time of testing will come to an end. It will feel as if the sun comes out again, and you can see your way clearly. You will look back and see how God guided you every step of the way, even when you couldn’t see it.
I love this time of year. Fall has finally hit here in Pennsylvania, and I am here for it. We are enjoying all things fall–a hay ride, apple cider, apple cider donuts, apple picking, getting pumpkins, apple blasters (shooting apples out of a compressed-air cannon), pumpkin spice lattes, soups, finding trees that are changing color, day trips to local farms, and more.
This past Sunday, we had our ladies’ fall event at church and had a blast. It was such a great time, I thought I’d share it for this week’s post. For our activity we had chicken and rice soup and bread, and then we decorated fall front door mats. I’m so happy with how they turned out. We had so much fun doing them.
It’s an easy craft to do at home if you want a fun fall project to work on. Macey, our ten-year-old painted this rug at home after the event.
Here were a few others we got pics of.
We used acrylic paint from Walmart. I ordered this fall pack of paints. We were really happy with the colors. I also ordered a few bottles of this black paint. The black ended up being the best for painting words. It was much easier to read on the rugs. We ordered the coir rugs from Hobby Lobby on clearance, but it looks like they are no longer available. But you can get these rugs from several places–Amazon, Walmart, Lowes, etc. I got these stencils from Amazon, and we used cheap paint brushes from Walmart.
We did learn that you don’t really “paint” on these rugs. You kind of “blot” the paint because of the coarseness of the rug. And the larger the stencil, the better it works. The smaller stencils just made the paint all blur together.
If you’re looking for a fun fall idea to do at home for yourself or with your kids or even as a ladies’ event like we did, I can guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
More Fall Fun
Another idea is to get together with a group of friends and go on a hay ride together at a local farm. We just did this with our Growth Group and had a blast. We finished off the night with hot dogs and marshmallows roasted over a fire.
Our chili cook off is coming up soon. This activity is one of our favorites. It’s so fun and easy and requires little to no extra work. Everybody that wants to, brings a chili; and everybody tries them and then makes a bowl of their favorite. Everybody, including the kids, gets to write down the number of their favorite and drop it into the box. The winer is the one with the most votes.
Easy Chicken and Rice Crockpot Soup
I don’t really use a recipe for this soup, but this is the basic idea for what I do. You can’t go wrong with however you decide to make it. This makes one full crockpot; mine is 7 quarts.
Ingredients:
Family Pack of Chicken Breasts
Cream Cheese
32 oz. Cheesy Melt (or Velvet)
Two bags shredded carrots
One full pack of celery cut up
3- 32 oz cartons of Chicken Broth
2-3 cups cooked rice (I use brown rice, but you can use any kind)
Directions:
Cut up chicken into large chunks. (You will shred it later when it’s cooked) and put in crock pot.
Season with garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper
Add two bags of shredded carrots to crock pot
Add entire bag of chopped celery
Salt and pepper the veggies
Add about two cartons of chicken broth
Cook on High for four hours
Shred chicken
Warm up the cream cheese if it’s not room temperature and add to crock pot
Add cheesy melt (start with half the box and add to taste)
Stir in cream cheese and cheezy melt until fully melted
Stir in rice
Add more broth if it gets too thick
Serve with bread and crackers
Another Easy Meal Idea
You could also make this copy cat Panera tomato soup and make a bunch of grilled cheese sandwiches. We did that with our Growth Group this past Tuesday night, and it was a hit. It’s an inexpensive meal to serve lots of people. (Our group is thirty-plus people.) I made one large crock pot of this soup, and we bought bread and cheese slices from Aldi and took our griddle to be able to crank a bunch out. We did somewhere North of forty grilled cheeses for our group, and everybody loved it. It’s really great if you have lots of kids, like we do in our group.
Fall is such a great time to gather with friends and family and church family. I hope this post gives you some ideas to get started and do something fun to celebrate the season.
Have you ever felt like life was spiraling out of control? Everything feels like it’s too much–your emotions, your workload, your family, your finances. You’ve kept all the plates spinning, but now they’re crashing to the floor one after another. You feel like maybe God has forgotten you
It’s a scary place to be. It’s hard to see what’s right side up and what’s down. Everything is out of control. When times like this come, it is crucial that we go back to the basics. The more everything spins out of control, the more we have to find our grounding in God and in His Word.
If you find yourself in a time like this, there are a few fundamental truths to come back to to help realign ourselves with God and be able to get a handle on life again.
God Sees Me
No matter what you are going through, remember this: God sees you. He sees exactly what you are going through. We see an example of this in the Old Testament. Hagar runs away from Sarah and Abraham into the desert with just her son and the clothes on her back. She’s isolated, afraid, and alone. And yet, God comes to her. After this encounter with God, she calls him by another name. She calls Him “the God Who sees me.”
Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.
Genesis 16:13,14 NLT
When it feels like life is spiraling out of control, remember this first truth. God sees you.
God Hasn’t Forgotten Me
The next truth to remember to find our grounding again is that God hasn’t forgotten you. In the midst of the chaos, the heartbreak, the confusion, it is so crucial to find our grounding in the fact that God hasn’t forgotten you or left you alone to deal with these problems on your own. Even now, He walks beside you; and He wants to carry your load for you.
Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you.
I Peter 5L7 NLT
All the burdens you’re carrying, surrender them to God. You can’t do anything to change your circumstances anyway. God is so much better at carrying our burdens then we are, so give them to Him and stop worrying about them.
God loves Me
It’s such a simple truth. God loves me. How would your life change today if you remember that God loves you. He loves you just the way you are–not for what you can do for Him, not because of your accomplishments. He loves you simply because you are His child. I love this verse from Psalms.
I will be glad and rejoice in your unfailing love, for you have seen my troubles, and you care about the anguish of my soul.
Psalm 31:7
We don’t love our kids any more or less based on their performance or how well they succeed in life. We love them because they are ours. How much greater is God’s love for us than our love for our children. If we would live with this truth in mind, we would be able to get rid of the shame that dogs us daily.
Time for a Reset
Sometimes, we just need a hard reset. If life is out of control, and you can’t handle the stress, take time to reset and remember these three truths. God sees you. He hasn’t forgotten you. He loves you.
Let those thoughts ease the anxiety and pressure in your chest, so you can take a full breath. If we get ahold of these truths, we will be able to sleep in peace at night.
I will never forget the five nights we spent in the ICU with our then five-year-old daughter, Macey. She was so very sick when we took her to the hospital. She had been losing weight and just wasn’t herself. Then she started throwing up. It lasted a few days, and she was so weak. We knew something was really wrong. All we knew was we needed the God who heals.
Scary Days
As soon as we got to the hospital and got her into a room, a nurse turned to me and said, “It’s ketoacidosis. I can smell it on her breath.” That meant nothing to us in the moment, but we would come to understand all of it later. Over the next few hours, they arranged transport by ambulance to the Childrens’ Hospital of Philadelphia where she would receive the care she needed as a type 1 Diabetic. She was admitted to the ICU. There were so many doctors and nurses coming and going. They spoke of brain damage and the severity of her situation. It was completely overwhelming. Those were some dark days filled with fear, anxiety, and what-ifs.
God got us through those days, and Macey is doing well today. She wears both an insulin pump and a glucose monitor. But I have a special place in my heart for Type 1 Warriors.
(Macey is the one next to me, on the right.)
The Death of a Little Girl
When I read the story of a little girl being sick and then dying, it tugs on my mama’s heartstrings. And that’s the story we read in Luke 8.
The girl’s father, a man named Jairus, comes to Jesus and begs him to save his little girl. The little girl was twelve, and she was dying. He knew it, his wife knew it, and probably the girl herself knew it.
Jesus agrees and begins to make his way to Jairus’s home. It takes him a little bit because the woman with the issue of blood stops him, and He heals her. A messenger comes and finds Jairus and tells him, “Your daughter is dead. Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”
Just Believe
Jesus overhears the man and turns to Jairus and says these words, “Don’t be afraid. Only believe, and she will be saved.” Then they continue on to Jairus’s home. When they get there, only Jairus and his wife and Peter, James, and John are allowed inside with Jesus. Jesus takes the girl by her hand and says, “Child, get up.” The very next order is something that captures my husband’s and my attention. Jesus says, “Get her something to eat.”
Now allow me to hypothesize here for a moment. This is pure conjecture. But Matt and I often wonder if the girl in this story had diabetes. Obviously, they wouldn’t have even known back then that’s what it was. She would have just gotten thinner and thinner and sicker and sicker until she eventually slipped into a coma and then died. So when Jesus comes to her and heals her and then tells them to give her something to eat, it strikes at something inside me. The cure to helping someone whose sugars are too low is to give them something to eat.
Jesus Heals
So did she have diabetes? Maybe. Maybe not. But it certainly has made me think about what it must have been like for Jesus to heal people when he was here on earth. He knew every single disease and ailment He was healing, and yet, so many of those sicknesses weren’t even labeled yet. Can you imagine Jesus healing someone with diabetes? He heals them and can’t even tell them what it is. What would He say? “It’s a disease that they’ll discover in about fifteen hundred years, and they won’t have a cure for it for another five hundred years.”
God is our healer. His name, Jehovah Raphah, means, “the Lord Who heals.” We see this in Exodus 15:26.
He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”
Exodus 15:26 NLT
Don’t Stop Asking
It brings me such comfort to know this name of God, the God who heals. I don’t know what you need healed today, but I know the God who does the healing. It may be a physical ailment, or it may be spiritual or mental. I don’t know what it is, but God does. And He’s a God who heals. It’s in the very nature of who He is.
Whatever you need healing from today, take it to the God who heals, believing He will heal. Don’t give up on asking and believing.
And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.”
Sometimes I wonder if newspapers, whether something generic like the Daily Times or specific like the New York Times, should be called the “Troubled Times.”
We live in troubled times. Don’t we? Jesus called it “wars and rumors of wars.” He said as much in Matthew.
You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
(Matthew 24:6-7)
Troubling Times
Should we be afraid of the times we live in? If you look at the statistics, it doesn’t look good. According to Chris Hedges, a writer for the New York Times, “Of the past 3,400 years, humans have been entirely at peace for 268 of them, or just 8 percent of recorded history.” For all those years of fighting and warring, estimates say 150 million up to 1 billion people have died because of war.1
What is our hope for the threat of violence and war? Jesus.
Winning the War with Worry
Jesus promised the disciples in John 14 that they didn’t have to be afraid. What could the disciples have been afraid of? They had the Creator of the universe, the One who spun the clouds, splashed the seas with white-capped waves, and flecked the stars across the galaxies like a painter’s flip of the wrist with a brush and a canvas, walking with them. The One who roars with thunder and is gentle as a breeze. The One who stood with the three protestors in the fiery furnace of Nebuchadnezzar. The Bright and Morning Star and Son of God sat with them around a table. What did they have to fear?
The fear that the Romans and religious elite would break down their doors and arrest them was a very real fear. They feared the visceral sight and sound of men wailing as they were being crucified on a hillside. They feared for their lives.
Facing Your Fear
What do you say to someone when they face their deepest fears? What would you want to hear to dispel your fears? Jesus said three words, “Believe in me.” Believe in me? What would “belief” in Jesus do to keep the Romans from arresting them for scheming and plotting against the empire?
Jesus said to them:
Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
John 14:1
Jesus was saying to them, “Are you afraid? I have something to offer you that will overcome and counteract those fears.” Jesus offered them a promise of an eternal home in heaven. He spent three years telling them Who He was. He spent three years letting them in on His secrets, pulling back the curtain, and revealing more of the story to them. His big reveal was this: “I’m going to go and prepare a place for you.” (John 14:2-6)
Another word for “believe” is trust or faith. Jesus was saying, “You trust God? You can trust me. You have faith in God? Have faith in me.”
Believing in God’s Goodness
Do you believe God is good? Do you believe God can be trusted? Jesus calls us to trust him. Choose to trust Jesus today to calm your fears and quell your frights. Jesus wants to bring calm to your mind to de-stress you.
Don’t let your heart get to the point where you lose your sense of your trust in God.
1. Hedges, Chris, “What Every Person Should Know about War,” July 6, 2003, The New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/06/books/chapters/what-every-person-should-know-about-war.html.
It’s been a week–a week of devastating losses, fear, trauma, and so much more. If you’ve spent any time watching the news or scrolling on social media, your heart has been impacted by the events of this week. After spending time online, we’re tempted to crawl into a hole and never come back out.
Finding Answers
What’s the answer after a week like this one? Lately, it feels like evil is winning, and good is losing. Where do we turn our focus? How do we find our equilibrium?
Just like every other crisis or hard time, we turn our focus to God. In light of everything going on, the news reports, the social media comments, the evil taking place, I invite you to pause and reflect and take a few moments to remember who God is. Only then can you find the strength and courage you need to keep going.
Verses to Reflect On
We need to actively focus on God and His goodness. We do that by focusing on His Word. These verses bring thoughts of peace, love, and the goodness of God to mind.
Isaiah
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
Isaiah 43:1-3
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.
Isaiah 41:10
“Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
The Psalms
Psalm 46:10
But the Lord watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.
Psalm 33:18
Your unfailing love, O Lord, is as vast as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches beyond the clouds.
Psalm 36:5
Revelation
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Revelation 22:13
During this hard week, carve out some time to pause and reflect and remember God’s goodness. Remember, it’s during times like these that we have to be proactive in thinking about God, or we risk getting sucked into the abyss of negativity and evil swirling all around us.
Did you know it’s impossible to have faith and be afraid at the same time? It’s impossible to have faith and yet fear. Try it. Think of something that makes you terrified or anxious; then think of how God watches over you and protects you. You won’t be able to hang on to the fear when believing, and you won’t be able to hang on to the faith when fear takes over.
Waking Out of a Dead Sleep
Have you ever been woken out of the middle of a dead sleep with fear coursing through you? Several years ago, I had to testify in a custody court case for a woman in our church. Soon after, we were woken in the middle of the night with a car fire. When the tires blew out, the exploding sound woke us up out of a dead sleep. When we looked out the window and saw the flames shooting high into the sky, right next to the room where our three little ones slept, fear shot into me so hard and fast. Someone pounded on our front door, telling us to grab our kids and get out.
There’s nothing like running out of your house in your pajamas with little kids hanging off of you. I remember feeling the biast of the heat hit my face as soon as I stepped out. Neighbors were shouting this and that as we got away from the blazing fire. Eventually, the fire trucks got there and put out the fire. We were safe; none of us had been harmed. But the fear that entered my heart that night didn’t go away for a long time.
No Longer Feeling Safe
The home that we loved suddenly no longer felt safe. I woke up every night around three in the morning with my heart pounding in my chest. I would leave my room and go check on our sleeping children before making my way back to my room.
The aftermath of that fire affected me for a long time with sleepless nights and fear that had a stranglehold on me. It took a long time for me to get victory, but with God’s help, eventually the fear started to fade and I could sleep through the night again.
The only thing that helped during those nights when fear would wrap its icy tentacles around my heart was God’s Word. I said the same few verses over and over and over again.
Breaking Fear’s Stronghold
I have found the only way to conquer fear is God’s Word. These two verses were and still are the verses that I flood my mind with when fear takes over.
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
Psalm 56:3 NLT
When I say these verses either out loud or in my mind, my faith begins to beat back the fear. Fear can not keep its stranglehold on us when faith beats it back.
I encourage you to memorize these verses and add them to your arsenal. The next time fear tries to control you, say these verses out loud or in your mind. The fear gripping your heart will begin to ease, and faith will beat it back. Peace will flood your heart and soul. Faith wins over fear every single time.
The Storm
We see this in the story in the New Testament. The disciples get caught in a storm and think they are going to die. It must have been quite the storm to scare seasoned fishermen. They wake up Jesus, who was asleep in the boat with them, and ask Him to save them. Before Jesus calms the storm, He has these words to say to them.
Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.
Matthew 8:26 NLT
Jesus was showing us that it is impossible to have both fear and faith in control at the same time; only one will win. Let’s let faith be the winner. Let your faith grow strong, and your fear will take a backseat.
Have you ever found yourself in a place you don’t want to be? A city you didn’t choose, a home that’s not what you picked out, a future you didn’t plan for?
The Life of Jeremiah
I’m currently working my way through Eugene Peterson’s book, Run With the Horses. It’s a book that studies the life of Jeremiah and how it’s applicable to our life today.
Let me give the setting for the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah is known as “the weeping prophet” for a reason. Jeremiah warned the Jews of God’s impending judgement that would come in the form of the Babylonian army. In an act of rebellion, the people of God had turned from God and were serving other gods. He warned that God was about to be done with their wickedness, and he was going to use an evil more corrupt people to bring that judgement.
God’s Judgement
Jeremiah lived to see that day–the day Babylon came in and destroyed the city, including the walls of the city, the major buildings, and the temple. For the Jewish people, losing the temple was everything. That was where they met with God and felt HIs presence.
Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, also took away all the leaders and anybody important in the land and made them captives in Babylon. They were exiled in waves over a period of time. Only the poor, a small number, were left in the land. Ironically, Jeremiah wasn’t considered anyone of value and is left in the land after its destruction. Jeremiah is left to see the devastation of his land and the aftermath of the devastation.
Jeremiah’s Message
This was a very bleak time in Israel’s history. The Jews either find themselves in a new place or in a devastated land; either way, it was bad. During this dark time, God gives Jeremiah a message to send to the Jews who are living in Babylon now and unable to come back home.
The people living in captivity in Babylon don’t know the story like we do. They assume they’ll be going home any day, especially when false prophets that were carried away with them tell them it will be over soon. Yet, we know, the captivity is going to last seventy years. The prophets had known and had tried to warn God’s people, but they failed to listen.
God’s Message to Those in Captivity
The message from God that Jeremiah sends to those in captivity is really surprising. This is God’s message that Jeremiah sends to the Jews living in Babylon.
Jeremiah wrote a letter from Jerusalem to the elders, priests, prophets, and all the people who had been exiled to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar.
This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives he has exiled to Babylon from Jerusalem: “Build homes, and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce.Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away!And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.”
Jeremiah 29:4-7
This New Place is Home
The message then goes on to say not to listen to the false prophets, that the exile will last seventy years.
This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, the God of Israel, says: “Do not let your prophets and fortune-tellers who are with you in the land of Babylon trick you. Do not listen to their dreams,because they are telling you lies in my name. I have not sent them,” says the Lord.
This is what the Lord says: “You will be in Babylon for seventy years.
Jeremiah 29:8-10
The message tells them that this exile is not going to end quickly. It will last seventy years; that’s an entire lifespan. Many of them would die in the land of Babylon and never again see their homeland. God doesn’t try to hide the truth from them; He tells them exactly what is going to happen.
This message is amazing to me. God tells His people, who are living in a foreign land, that He wants them to establish themselves. Put down roots; plan to stay. They’re told to build homes, plant gardens, get married, have kids and grandkids, and pray for the success of Babylon. If Babylon was successful, they would be blessed as a result.
Losing Everything
Can you imagine how the people felt getting this message from Jeremiah that ultimately came from God? It must have felt like such a slap in the face. Settle here? Make our lives flourish here? Put down roots? Get married and have kids? In this land? It had to seem so countercultural. There was no temple of God here to worship in; there were no prophets telling them how to live.
Eugene Peterson writes about the exile in his book.
They settled down to find out what it meant to be God’s people in the place they did not want to be–Babylon. The result was that this became the most creative period in the entire sweep of Hebrew history. They did not lose their identity; they discovered it. They learned how to pray in deeper and more life-changing ways than ever…The violent dislocation of the exile shook them out of their comfortable but reality-distorting assumptions and allowed them to see depths and heights that they had never even imagined before. They lost everything that that thought was important and found was important: they found God.
Finding God
In the midst of this strange land, they found God. They found the God they had turned their backs on.
Really, God’s message to us today hasn’t changed all that much. This world we live in is not our ultimate home, and yet, we are to live here, build homes, have kids, and live fruitful lives. In the midst of this broken world, we learn what it is to be human–to love, to multiply, to grow gardens and build houses, to marry, have children and watch them grow. This is God’s gift.
Putting Down Roots in This New Place
I don’t know where life has you. Maybe it’s not what you thought it would look like. It could be you’re in a place you don’t want to be, whether that’s figurative or literal. Maybe you never thought you’d still be in this place all these years later.
God’s message today remains the same: Put down roots. Live your life right where you are. Don’t hold out, waiting for the next thing. This right now is your life; make it a good one. Don’t focus on the next house, a better job, a newer car, a different city. This is where God has you right now. Enjoy it. In our vernacular, put paint on the walls and hang up decorations. Plant some flowers; learn your neighbors’ names. Enjoy your job. Raise your kids in love and find joy in your everyday life. This is what it is to be human.
Solomon’s Message
King Solomon, the wisest man that ever lived, understood this principle.
Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat, drink, and enjoy their work under the sun during the short life God has given them, and to accept their lot in life. And it is a good thing to receive wealth from God and the good health to enjoy it. To enjoy your work and accept your lot in life—this is indeed a gift from God. God keeps such people so busy enjoying life that they take no time to brood over the past.
Ecclesiastes 5:18-20
Your life today is a gift from God. Live it to the fullest, honoring God with this precious life He’s given you.
One of the biggest lies of the Devil that we fall for is this: Nobody cares. The Devil knows if he can isolate us and make us feel alone, we will be a much easier target to take down. The author of Ecclesiastes reminds us of this in chapter four.
A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken.
Ecclesiastes 4:12
Feeling Alone
When we are alone or feel alone, we are much more susceptible and vulnerable to an attack. Once we start feeling alone, we begin to feel helpless and hopeless. We forget that people love us, and we forget that God is with us and we are never alone. We begin to feel the words that David penned when he was hiding in a cave from Saul. He was afraid and running for his life and never felt so alone.
I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.
Psalm 142:4
God’s Presence
And yet, even David didn’t stop there. He continues his thoughts into the next verse. He remembers what the truth is. The truth is that God has promised He will never leave us nor abandon us.
For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”
Hebrews 13:5
So David doesn’t stop with his lament that nobody sees him or cares for him. He follows up with truth. What is the truth? We find it in the next verse he penned.
Then I pray to you, O Lord. I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.
Psalm 142:5
God Sees You
If you’re going through a difficult time and feel like God has forgotten you, take comfort in these words. Or maybe you, just like David, feel really lonely. Maybe you live in a new place, you’re attending a new church, you’re at home with a newborn…whatever the case may be, don’t listen to the Devils’ lie that no one cares about you. Listen to the truth instead.
God loves you. He sees you. Let Him be your place of refuge.
After you remind yourself that God hasn’t left you, then focus on the other people God has placed in your life. Most of us, if we were truly honest with ourselves, would admit that we aren’t actually alone…though it may feel that way. If you’ve found yourself distant from people and relationships, work on putting into those relationships once again.
Spend Time with People
Go on a date with your spouse. Spend an hour at a coffeeshop with a friend. Have a family member or two over for dessert. Sign up for that group at church you’ve been wanting to check out.
None of us is truly alone; that’s just the lie Satan wants us to believe. Remind yourself today of God’s love and then seek out the companionship of others.
