EXPAND TO READ: JEREMIAH 38 (HCSB)
PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN (verses 20-21): This combination of Scripture is speaking to me, Father. For a long time, I refused to surrender to what You have spoken to me through Your Scripture and through Your messengers. Please forgive me for this disobedience, Father. Remind me that surrendering to You will align me with Your will for my life, Father. Just as King Zedekiah would live through surrendering to Your words, I too will live in Your will for me forever if I choose to surrender to Your will for my life. Remind me in those times that I struggle in my weaknesses and current defaults to quickly return to You in obedience to You, Father.
PROMISE (verse 22b): You promise us that there will be those that we deem to be our trusted friends in our lives that will mislead us at times. Please help me with Your power of discernment, Father, so I can recognize these moments. Help me to discern when my friends are helping to align me with Your will versus when they are misleading me, whether it be intentional or unintentional. This world is very corrupted and even those that claim they are strong in the faith are not always aligned with Your counsel in instruction in their ways. Remind me of this so that I always go back to You for my counsel, wisdom, and instruction to ensure the words I’m getting from my friends align with You.
ATTITUDE (verse 15): Jeremiah showed a strong attitude of restraint and honesty in this verse. His restraint was not just leaping into giving King Zedekiah what he had asked for in the moment as Jeremiah wasn’t sure if he was quite ready to receive it. His honesty was in the words he spoke to Zedekiah stating how he felt in that moment. When Zedekiah reassured him that he would not be harmed no matter what Jeremiah spoke to him, only then did Jeremiah feel Zedekiah was ready to receive what the Lord had spoken. Help me to have this attitude of restraint and honesty in this life, Father, so that I know when the moment is right to speak Your truths directly and when I should probably tip-toe around it a bit as a precaution to give me time to evaluate whether or not the moment is right.
COMMAND (verse 20): This verse may be Jeremiah speaking directly to King Zedekiah and nobody else in the moment, but I do feel Your written word speaks to all of us through stories like this. That is why I feel this verse specifically is Your command to us in this Scripture, Father. You command us to obey You voice so that we can live. If we want true, eternal life, then we must stay faithful and obedient to Your words and Your truths. Help me to be better at obeying this command, Father, as I have failed often throughout my faith walk with You. Help me to be a better follower of You, so that I may be more aligned with Your will for my life and not my own.
EXAMPLE (verses 24-27): In these verses, Jeremiah gives us a great example of discernment when it comes to following the commands of our government leaders. Jeremiah had already spoken Your truth to Zedekiah. Zedekiah knew that if the officials had known the truth about what was spoken in private between him and Jeremiah, that Jeremiah would surely be put to death immediately. Zedekiah told Jeremiah to not reveal the truth about what was spoken, but instead to talk about something else that would be safe for him to mention to them. Jeremiah, with Your discernment, decided to go ahead and follow Zedekiah’s command in this moment when the officials came to him requesting details of the private conversation. As a result, Jeremiah was not killed, yet, and was able to continue to live for Your glory in this life. If he had not listened to Zedekiah and instead decided to just be 100% open about the entire conversation, he surely would have died in that moment. Help me to have better discernment, Father, to know when I should follow the commands of my government and when I should not. Help me to decipher what is aligned with Your will for my life versus what goes against it. Help me to be more like Jeremiah in this sense. Although he did experience some hardships, those hardships were necessary for him to glorify You through prophetic wisdom.
*DAILY NOTE: Not only have I been misled rather easily in the past, but I also have had a horrible time actually having righteous discernment in my life. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, many of which could have been avoided had I just went to You through the decision-making process instead of relying on myself through it. Jeremiah had discernment in knowing when to speak Your truths and when to respect the wishes of those around him in a way that does not disrespect You in any way. I, unfortunately, do not have even remotely close to this level of discernment. Please help me to improve this attribute in this life, Father. Help me to become better at righteous discernment so that I am no longer misled in this life.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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