What have we placed our confidence in?

For Jeremiah’s audience, it was the Baals and other false Gods.  For us, it can be appearance, pleasure, leisure, lust, money, things, sports, cars, jewelry, education, power etc.

The prophet’s warning was this;

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
    or the strong boast of their strength
    or the rich boast of their riches,
²⁴ but let the one who boasts boast about this:
    that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
    justice and righteousness on earth,
    for in these I delight,”  [Jer. 9:23,24]

DAILY PRAYER:  Father, by Your Spirit and Your grace, give us the strength to readjust our focus from all else to You.  Forgive us for following after idols.

DAILY READING:  Jer. 10-15

Jeremiah’s message to God’s people was not popular. “They did not listen or pay attention; instead, they followed the stubborn inclinations of their evil hearts.”  [Jer.7:24]

God had said, “Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people.Walk in obedience to all I command you, that it may go well with you.”  [v. 23]

When our road gets ultra bumpy, or circumstances seem to be crying out, “This is not working.”  It may be time to return to the Lord.

Just the other day, I was suffering in my body.  I returned to the Lord by asking Him to give me relief.  It worked.  I sensed a warmth in my painful area and soon noticed the objectionable pain was gone.

DAILY PRAYER;  Lord, forgive us for forgetting Your power and desire that things go well for us.

DAILY READING:  Jer. 5-8

God protects His people.  He told the prophet Jeremiah that He would rescue him when his enemies came after him.  He enjoyed God’s protection his entire life, although he experienced persecution and hardship.

The Apostle Paul also experienced God’s protection until the appointed time of his death.  The Lord made it possible for him to be the major contributor of the New Testament, and we still benefit from the lessons God gave him.  He spoke of escape when he declared, “ The only temptation that has come to you is that which everyone has. But you can trust God, who will not permit you to be tempted more than you can stand. But when you are tempted, he will also give you a way to escape so that you will be able to stand it.”

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, You are our protection and we thank You.  We trust every phase of our lives to You to be effective in this life as a witness for You.

DAILY READING:  Jer. 1-4

God loves us too much to leave us the way we are.

“My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
    and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
 because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
    and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”  [Heb. 12:5,6]

If our ways don’t line up with His, guess who has to change?

Malachi states that the processing is that we may offer an offering in righteousness … that the aroma of our life would be pleasing to the Lord.  Our God is a refining fire.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, we do want to be like You.  Give us grace to endure Your dealings.  We trust You and the process You put us through.

DAILY READING:  Is. 63-6

Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight.”  As members of His kingdom, we likewise choose His methods of defense.  Isaiah refers to the way of peace.  “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God,” was the encouragement Christ gave us to solve problems.

When the Prince of Peace is called upon to have rule, He performs His will in His way, the way of peace, and all will recognize His kingdom.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, forgive me for doing things my way.  I want to do them Your way.

DAILY READING:  Is. 58-62

Such was a portion of the description Isaiah gave of our Savior in chapter 53.  What a profoundly noble quality.  He was not a liar, a race baiter, a con man, a flatterer, a cuss-er … He was without sin and his mouth matched His purity.

I think of the old song,

To be like Jesus, to be like Jesus,  All I ask to be like Him;
All through life’s journey from earth to glory  All I ask to be like Him;

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, let Your words be in my mouth.   May they all be acceptable to You.  I renounce any deceitfulness in my tongue.

DAILY READING:  Is. 53-7

“Those the Lord has rescued will return.
    They will enter Zion (the city of God) with singing;
    everlasting joy will crown their heads.
Gladness and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”  [Is. 51:11]

The Church is comprised of all who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ.  Take your place and receive His blessing.  The Church is the bride and Christ is the bridegroom.

DAILY PRAYER:  Thank You, Lord, for birthing me into Your Church, Your Body.  I bless You.

DAILY READING:  Is. 48-52

God can look at the continuum of time in one glance.  It’s as if He has a book in front of Him and He can turn to any page He’d like.  Oh, and He wrote the book.  “I am God, and there is none like me. My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.  What I have said, that I will bring about;  what I have planned, that I will do.”  [Is 46:9-11]

Not so with us … one page, one sentence, one word at a time.  It’s time to get in step with The Author.

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, Your greatness is beyond finding out.  Who is man that Thou art mindful of him.  Yet You love us with an everlasting love, and with Your mercy, You draw us to Yourself.  We bless You.

DAILY READING:  Is. 44-7

Isaiah provides to us some of the clearest and most precise prophesies of God’s redemption plan for His people.  “The voice of one crying in the wilderness,” describes John accurately, and of the Messiah is said, “He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd.”  [Is. 40:3,11]

It is reassuring to see God’s method of foretelling His plan to save us from our sin, speaking through a prophet 700 years before the N.T. events actually happened.

We can thereby trust the accounts of a glorious hereafter also foretold by the writers of scripture.  Take it to the bank!

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, we trust You and Your Word to make the future more clear to us.  We will serve You with our faithfulness, because You have been so faithful to us.

DAILY READING:  Is. 39-43

Zeal.  What is it?  Do you have it?

Fervor.  Eager desire.  Enthusiastic diligence.

In His zeal for His people, God defended Jerusalem against the king of Assyria by sending His angel who put to death 185,000 enemy troops in one night.  God is zealous for His people.

Can we be zealous for God?  Paul said, “ it is always good to be zealous for God’s good cause.”  [VOICE, WEB]

DAILY PRAYER:  Lord, let Your zeal light a fire in me to be fervent to serve You.  Let my life count for You.  Grace me to accomplish great things for You.

DAILY READING:  Is. 36-8,  Ps. 69