Thursday, October 12, 2017

October 12

Jeremiah 19:1-21:14; 1 Thessalonians 5:4-28; Psalm 82:1-8; Proverbs 25:8-10

The day of the Lord is coming! That was prophesied, or mentioned, in 3 out of 4 sections in our reading today (I tried to stretch it to Proverbs, but it just couldn’t work).

We first see the prophecy of coming disaster in Jeremiah 19 as Jeremiah warns Israel that God will bring wrath upon them due to their disobedience in following other gods and their refusal to hear and obey his word. In 1 Thessalonians 5, we read yesterday that the “day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night” (vs. 2). And today we see Paul exhorting his readers to be ready for that day and “not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober” (vs. 6). And finally our Psalms reading shows a God who “takes his place in the divine council,” and who will “arise to judge the earth” (Ps. 82:1, 8).

Some people eat up this whole the world is ending, doom and gloom kind of stuff. Not me. It tends to overwhelm me and make me feel a little bit of uncertainty and fear. I know the Lord is coming to bring judgment and ultimate redemption to the earth, but what do I do with that? How do I “stay awake and be sober,” ready for his return?

I think the Scriptures today provide some of those answers right along side the prophecies that predict this coming day of the Lord.

First, we can listen to the voice of the Lord. As we see in Jeremiah and the other prophets, not listening was Israel’s first and gravest mistake. They did not heed the word of the Lord, neither in his Holy Word nor from the mouths of the prophets. Let us learn from their mistake. What words, or even prophecies, might the Lord be speaking to us today? Where are we stopping up our ears and going our own way because we don’t want to hear that particular word from the Lord? We must listen, and respond, to the voice of the Lord.

But how can we listen for the voice of the Lord. What does that look like?  Well, that takes me to my second point, we can “pray with out ceasing, giving thanks in all circumstances” (1 Th. 5:17-18). We practice talking to the Lord at all times, about all things, in every circumstance. And we don’t just barrage him with our requests; we spend time praising and thanking him. We spend time listening to what he might be saying back to us. Sometimes even just saying, “Here am I Lord, speak to me.” The Lord will take us at our word and honor that request.

Thirdly, we are to take prophecy seriously and not despise it, not quenching the work of the Spirit (1 Th. 5:19-20). In modern day America, it doesn’t seem like we see a lot of prophecies or works of the Spirit, but they are there. Are we listening? Are we staying awake? Let’s sober up and pay attention!

Finally, we can do works of justice and redemption in the name of Christ while we wait for the Lord to come and bring ultimate justice and judgment to the earth. When I was in high school, I began to see the desire to help the poor and needy begin to arise in my heart. But I wasn’t always sure how to do that. I didn’t have a lot of interactions with the poor or weak or fatherless or widows at that time. My mom gave me Psalm 82:3-4 to memorize and pray on behalf of those people groups. I quickly memorized it and have been praying it ever since. And as I pray it, the Lord gives me opportunities in my life to be that agent of justice and redemption in his name in whatever small ways I can.

Come, Lord Jesus, come!


- Mary Matthias

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