When we don't understand

I will never stop doing good for them. I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me. (Jer. 32:40)

Jeremiah got a tough assignment from God. His leadership came at a time when the Jews had turned their backs on God's teaching, resulting in moral, political and religious decline. In that environment, God instructed Jeremiah to call the people to repent and come back to their heritage. The people he tried to influence wouldn't listen, they called him a traitor, and even tried to kill him. Yet, Jeremiah stayed true to God's call, kept his love for the people, and persisted in preparing for God's redemption of his people.


Jeremiah 32 tells how he purchased land, not because the people were ready for it, but because of his faith in God -- that the people would one day return to Him and His holy ways. Jeremiah trusted that God's way is higher than our way, that his plan is perfect, and that always, God is in control. He didn't always understand how, but he trusted anyway. Reassuring Jeremiah (at least that's how I read it), God says, "Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?" (Jer. 32:27 NIV).


God reassures Jeremiah, "They will be my people, and I will be their God. And I will give them one heart and one purpose: to worship me forever, for their own good and for the good of all their descendants." (Jer 32:38-39 NLT).


Recently, our little corner of the world has been struck by much tragedy: a trusted leader has apparently given into temptation, his potential never to be realized; two teenagers were killed, before they really "lived this life;" and a friend, leader, humble servant of God tragically died leaving behind his wife, young family and all of us who loved him and loved serving with him. As one of my kids asked yesterday, "Does stuff like this always come in bunches?"


It's so easy to see the tragedy, to fall into it and forget that God is still God. And He IS in control. Like Jeremiah, though, we may not understand it all, but we still can walk confidently in the Lord, remembering His goodness and mercy.


As Jeremiah did, we can praise God for all that He has done as we wait for understanding. (Jer. 32:17-22). We can choose to live confidently in the Lord, even when we don't understand. Even when it hurts. Even when we are sad.


God is and always will be God: love, mercy, grace, healer, protector, comforter and friend. Amen