October 18

Jeremiah 31:27-32:44; 1 Timothy 3:1-16; Psalm 88:1-18; Proverbs 25:20-22

What powerful things we read about our God today:

            "Nothing is too hard for you" (Jer. 32:17).  

                        Amen and amen!

            "Your eyes are open to all the ways of men" (vs. 19).  

                        God is so aware, so observant, so attentive.

            "I am the LORD, the God of all mankind" (vs. 27).  

                        All.

            "I taught them [Israel] again and again, [but] they would not listen or respond to discipline" (vs. 33).  

                        There's grief in this statement, grief and truth and love and loss.

            "I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them...I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.  They will be my people, and I will be their God" (vs. 37).  

                        God redeems.

            "I will never stop doing good to them" (vs. 40).

                        Never.

            "I will restore their fortunes" (vs. 44).

                        Redemption is always ahead, always available, always possible.

            "He [Jesus] appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory" (1 Tim. 3:16).  

                        A statement of faith.

            "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.  No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest" (Jer. 31:33-34).

                        There is such a time as this to look forward to.

            See, too, how concerned he is about the leaders of his church, giving such clear guidelines, so that only the best overseers are placed over the body of Christ (see 1 Tim. 3:1-12).

            "The God who saves me..." (Ps. 88:1).  

                        A declaration of truth, even more powerful because it is the beginning of a psalm of despair and longing.

And there are difficult things to understand about God:

            "You have put me in the lowest pit....Your wrath lies heavily upon me....You have taken from me my closest friends" (Ps. 88:6-7).  

                        These words could have been spoken by Job.  Or by Jesus, on the cross.

Lord, there is such richness in your word.  You reveal yourself to us, but so much remains - as Paul writes (see 1 Tim. 3:16) - a mystery.  Help us to know you more and better each day.  Amen.

- Sarah Marsh

How did God speak to you in Scripture today? Click here to share your reflections on God's word or read past posts. We'd love to hear from you.