God Has Been Very Busy in 2020

 14 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill  the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah.

In this part of Jeremiah’s prophecy he is bring a word of promise, a word of comfort, A word of hope to the people in exile.

God is acting on their behalf to protect and restore those who live with great suffering and despair.  Encouraging them to have faith and patience waiting with anticipation  — trusting God’s promise for their future.

Now this was a promise that must have seemed quite impossible; considering their present circumstance.

It must have been confusing for those people, that Jeremiah spoke to, who had been uprooted from all they knew.  Exiled — expelled, deported, moved away from — their country, traditions and religious support.

In chapter 29 Jeremiah tells these same people:

For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.(vs. 11)

I would like to share my own personal example of the kind of faith, that Jeremiah is calling these people to have:

It was during the Advent Season some years ago.  A time when I was emotionally very fragile.  

That Advent the church had decided to have “Advent Hours” every Sunday evening until Christmas.  That meant the church would be open each Sunday night for people to come and sit in the Nave to pray, meditate or just be in the quiet of a dimly lite church. 

The only light was at the back portion of the Nave under the choir loft; and a light outside shining through the stain glass window above the altar.   

I would go every Sunday evening to just sit.  It was peaceful, at a time when my world was full of peace-less-ness.

One particular evening I was feeling pretty hopeless and extremely sad — unsure of my future.  I heard the words, not out loud in someone’s voice, thoughts in my head soft and loving (a still small voice) “Trust and Wait”

In some ways it startled me but I heard it again: “Trust and Wait.”

Call me crazy but I knew at that moment, as I surely know now, those words were directly from God.

Is was an extraordinary moment in my divorce journey.  It was a moment of great strengthening for me.

A moment of assurance that all would be okay.

Those two words stayed with me for months. Every time I got worried or sad they came to me: “Trust and Wait.” 

In 2020 we have not been relocated to a strange land with strange traditions, eating habits and ways of thinking.

We have not been removed from all we know, and are familiar with in our own land, our own homes, family and friends.

We have not been asked to give up our traditions and eating habits; nor our American norms and values. 

And yet, with the pandemic, political turmoil and over all world unrest; we still have been privileged to  live in land of freedom.

Now we are being asked to have trust and confidence in God’s plan for tomorrow.

From the time of Jeremiah up until today our history seems to have repeated itself in many of the same way through the years.

It just seems to be histories pattern.

And so it it important to understand the promise that resounds from our ancient history down through the centuries:

There is always hope,

There will be a God who protects,

There will be restoration from the hand of God.

 

So trust and wait,

                          have faith, 

                              have patience, 

                                  have confidence;

that God will act.  

Maybe not in our time frame; or with our expectations.

But God will, at the right time, what God’s know as best

Actually I will even be so bold as to say that God indeed has been busy taking action faithfully forever.

And yes, God has been busy even in 2020.

14 The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill  the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. ¹⁵In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. ¹⁶In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ (Jere. 33)