"I Will Hear"
Jeremiah 29:10-14,
The context for this portion of Jeremiah is coming from a time in which God's people had been sent away in exile. The people had sinned, they had sinned repeatedly against God. God who had been patient with them. God who has been long-suffering. God who kept warning the people by the prophets that He sent. Yet the people did not listen. They turned away from God, and they turned to the worship of idols, false gods. And God punished His people for their sin. God sent Babylon to defeat the nation and to take away many into exile. And while they were in exile in Babylon, Jeremiah received the word of the Lord. It's a word of promise, which he writes in a letter that he sends to the exiles. Note in Jeremiah 29:1, he says,
In the letter, Jeremiah writes of a promise, a promise from the Lord, a promise that was sent to the exiles. In verse 10, we're told that “When seventy years are completed, I will visit you and I will fulfill to you My promise.” It's a promise to bring you back to this place. The Lord, He is in control. We see He is the one that will do this, “I will.” He is the one that is making this happen and He will bring back the exiles, including all those who had been exiled into all the nations, all the nations into which the Lord had driven them, all the places that God had sent the people into exile as punishment for their sin. The Lord will gather them out of all the nations, and they will be brought back to the land of Judah. It's a promise. It's a promise of the Lord. It's a promise of restoration. It's a promise of restoring the fortunes, perhaps referring to the blessings of returning to the land.
But I believe that a number of men have said this, and I believe that this is even more important, it's a promise of restoring fellowship with the Lord, “That I will visit you. I will hear you and I will be found by you.” Though God has punished His people, He has not forgotten them. For God is a God of mercy, He is a God who is forgiving. His promise, this promise that is given in Jeremiah is similar to the promise that was given to the people upon entering the land. In Deuteronomy 4, Moses told the people of a warning from the Lord, warning the people that if they did not obey His commands, if they acted corruptly, if they turned from God and turned to idols, if they did these things, that He would punish them and He would drive them out, He would scatter them among the nations.
But yet in this warning in Deuteronomy, He also gave them this promise; in Deuteronomy 4:29-31, the Lord gave them this promise,
So once again, as He did it as they were entering the land, once again the Lord gives the people a promise. This time it's a promise to them as they are in exile. It's a promise that will give them hope. It's a promise to encourage them.
And as we think of this promise, we note that it's a promise that has a connection to prayer. In verses 12 and 13, we read, “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will hear.” When they call, they have hope of being heard by the Lord. And as they look to the Lord, instead of looking to false gods, they will find the Lord when they seek the Lord with all of their heart, with earnest, sincere, heartfelt prayers to the Lord. In answer to their prayer, the Lord will fulfill His promise. The Lord will gather the people, and He will bring them to the Promised Land. And the Lord will restore the privileged fellowship that they once had, fellowship with the Lord.
Well, I can only imagine upon reading this letter as it was sent to the exiles, that as they read these words, hearing the promise of the Lord, you would anticipate that this would encourage the people, that it would encourage the people to pray. And we find this to be the case, as seen in the life of Daniel, as recorded in Daniel chapter 9. In Daniel 9:2, we read,
Upon reading of the promise of the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, Daniel responds to this promise by praying. His prayer is given to us and described in Daniel 9:3-19. And while we don't have time to go through all the details of the prayer, it's a prayer that's marked by worship. It's a prayer that's marked by confession of sin. It's a prayer that's marked by a recognition of justice, the justice of God for their sin. And it's a prayer with a plea for mercy and forgiveness. But as the commentators write, this prayer of Daniel, it's a prayer that's also motivated by and grounded in the promises of God, promises that were written by Jeremiah in his letter to the exiles.
So let us then likewise find encouragement to pray as we call to mind the promises of God. Writing of the connection between the promises of the Lord and prayer, E.M. Bounds wrote this,
“For thus says the Lord, “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you My promise and bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will hear you. You will seek Me and find Me when you seek Me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places where I have driven you,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back to the place from which I sent you into exile.’”
The context for this portion of Jeremiah is coming from a time in which God's people had been sent away in exile. The people had sinned, they had sinned repeatedly against God. God who had been patient with them. God who has been long-suffering. God who kept warning the people by the prophets that He sent. Yet the people did not listen. They turned away from God, and they turned to the worship of idols, false gods. And God punished His people for their sin. God sent Babylon to defeat the nation and to take away many into exile. And while they were in exile in Babylon, Jeremiah received the word of the Lord. It's a word of promise, which he writes in a letter that he sends to the exiles. Note in Jeremiah 29:1, he says,
“These are the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders of the exiles and to the priests, the prophets, and all the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.”
In the letter, Jeremiah writes of a promise, a promise from the Lord, a promise that was sent to the exiles. In verse 10, we're told that “When seventy years are completed, I will visit you and I will fulfill to you My promise.” It's a promise to bring you back to this place. The Lord, He is in control. We see He is the one that will do this, “I will.” He is the one that is making this happen and He will bring back the exiles, including all those who had been exiled into all the nations, all the nations into which the Lord had driven them, all the places that God had sent the people into exile as punishment for their sin. The Lord will gather them out of all the nations, and they will be brought back to the land of Judah. It's a promise. It's a promise of the Lord. It's a promise of restoration. It's a promise of restoring the fortunes, perhaps referring to the blessings of returning to the land.
But I believe that a number of men have said this, and I believe that this is even more important, it's a promise of restoring fellowship with the Lord, “That I will visit you. I will hear you and I will be found by you.” Though God has punished His people, He has not forgotten them. For God is a God of mercy, He is a God who is forgiving. His promise, this promise that is given in Jeremiah is similar to the promise that was given to the people upon entering the land. In Deuteronomy 4, Moses told the people of a warning from the Lord, warning the people that if they did not obey His commands, if they acted corruptly, if they turned from God and turned to idols, if they did these things, that He would punish them and He would drive them out, He would scatter them among the nations.
But yet in this warning in Deuteronomy, He also gave them this promise; in Deuteronomy 4:29-31, the Lord gave them this promise,
“But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find Him if you search after Him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in tribulation and all these things come upon you in the latter days, you will return to the Lord your God and obey His voice. For the Lord your God is a merciful God and He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that He swore to them.”
So once again, as He did it as they were entering the land, once again the Lord gives the people a promise. This time it's a promise to them as they are in exile. It's a promise that will give them hope. It's a promise to encourage them.
And as we think of this promise, we note that it's a promise that has a connection to prayer. In verses 12 and 13, we read, “Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me and I will hear.” When they call, they have hope of being heard by the Lord. And as they look to the Lord, instead of looking to false gods, they will find the Lord when they seek the Lord with all of their heart, with earnest, sincere, heartfelt prayers to the Lord. In answer to their prayer, the Lord will fulfill His promise. The Lord will gather the people, and He will bring them to the Promised Land. And the Lord will restore the privileged fellowship that they once had, fellowship with the Lord.
Well, I can only imagine upon reading this letter as it was sent to the exiles, that as they read these words, hearing the promise of the Lord, you would anticipate that this would encourage the people, that it would encourage the people to pray. And we find this to be the case, as seen in the life of Daniel, as recorded in Daniel chapter 9. In Daniel 9:2, we read,
“In the first year of his reign, (this is during the exile) I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of the years that according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely seventy years."
Upon reading of the promise of the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, Daniel responds to this promise by praying. His prayer is given to us and described in Daniel 9:3-19. And while we don't have time to go through all the details of the prayer, it's a prayer that's marked by worship. It's a prayer that's marked by confession of sin. It's a prayer that's marked by a recognition of justice, the justice of God for their sin. And it's a prayer with a plea for mercy and forgiveness. But as the commentators write, this prayer of Daniel, it's a prayer that's also motivated by and grounded in the promises of God, promises that were written by Jeremiah in his letter to the exiles.
So let us then likewise find encouragement to pray as we call to mind the promises of God. Writing of the connection between the promises of the Lord and prayer, E.M. Bounds wrote this,
"The promises of God are exceeding great and precious. They are of great value and have broad reach as grounds upon which to base our expectations in prayer."
John Calvin described the promises as the foundation and anchor of prayer. C.H. Spurgeon likened the promises of God to the raw materials of prayer. John Owen said the promises are the essential fuel of all prayer. So tonight as we come to pray, let us remember the promises of God and may they serve as fuel for our prayers. Promises such as God's promise of care, that when we are experiencing anxiety or cares of this life, we can pray to God fueled by the promise that He cares for us.
So therefore we can cast all our anxiety, all our care upon Him. We can be fueled by the promise of mercy and help. When we struggle with weakness and temptation to sin, we can pray to our great high priest who is able to sympathize with us in our weakness and draw on that promise and pray fueled by the promise that as we draw near to the throne of grace, that we will receive mercy and find help in time of need. But also the promise of forgiveness, that when we sin, we can pray for forgiveness, fueled by the promise that if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So the promises of God, let those promises enrich and enhance our prayers. Let those promises be a motivation for us to pray. And let those promises even increase our hope that the Lord will hear and answer our prayers even this night.
So therefore we can cast all our anxiety, all our care upon Him. We can be fueled by the promise of mercy and help. When we struggle with weakness and temptation to sin, we can pray to our great high priest who is able to sympathize with us in our weakness and draw on that promise and pray fueled by the promise that as we draw near to the throne of grace, that we will receive mercy and find help in time of need. But also the promise of forgiveness, that when we sin, we can pray for forgiveness, fueled by the promise that if we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So the promises of God, let those promises enrich and enhance our prayers. Let those promises be a motivation for us to pray. And let those promises even increase our hope that the Lord will hear and answer our prayers even this night.
Posted in Pastor Devotional