The Lord who made the earth!
Jeremiah 33:1~9 This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it—the Lord is his name: Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know. (2~3) Hymn for scheduled worship: Korean/English Hymnal #425 Have Thine Own Way, Lord (#217 in previous version) When the Israelites lost hold of the covenant, they were taken as captives to Babylon and the prophet Jeremiah was accused of being pro-Babylon and was even imprisoned. Jeremiah’s future was bleak, but he did not agonize over it or get frustrated about it. This is because he believed that God was his refuge and his strength. How can we enjoy the grace of God like Jeremiah who entrusted everything to God?
1. The Word of God came upon Jeremiah
God told Jeremiah to call to Him when he was faced with the crisis of being confined in the courtyard of the guard. God had a plan for Jeremiah to restore the Gospel that the Israelites had lost hold of, especially in light of the fact that Babylon would face destruction in the future. Jeremiah prayed until the Word of God came upon him in order to fulfill the great and unsearchable works of God who created the earth, formed it, and established it.
2. We must find the answers within our problems and hardships
As children of God, we must be able to discover the plan of God within our problems and sufferings because that too has been granted to us by God. However, when frustrating things happen, we cannot pray, and when our hearts grow burdened, we cannot even study. Our mind becomes consumed by all sorts of useless thoughts, and the life that has crumbled takes a long time to restore. At this time, we must not give up, and instead, find the answer that God has given.
3. We must take time to pray without being deceived
If pessimistic thoughts rule over our lives for a long period of time, they will change into bad ideologies and make life difficult for us. Ideologies that have taken form over a long period of time are difficult to change, and induce us to think egocentric thoughts that are not objective at all. Our thoughts and our nature hinder the life that is centered on the Gospel. Begin the prayer that places the Gospel at the center of your life and the prayer that prompts the Word of God to move your thoughts and your hearts.
- We may not know it when life is good; however, it is easy for us to lose hold of our status and authority as children of God when things aren’t going well and we begin to feel resentful towards God. First begin the prayer of enjoying your status and authority. Immanuel Church Sunday Worship 1st Service / 2012.4.29