Hope And Quietly Wait On The Lord

Jeremiah saw the invasion and destruction of Jerusalem due to their sins of idolatry and rebellion (Jer 6:26)! The people of God “were carried away captives” (Jer 29:1), into Babylon. In spite of a seemingly hopeless situation, God sent a message through His prophet to give them “hope” (v. 21). When things seem to be at their worst, we need to remember that our God is faithful (Deut 7:9), and He is the source of our hope (Jer 17:7). He knows “them that trust in Him” (Nah 1:7). We may tell others that we trust in God for a certain outcome, situation, or direction. But He knows our hearts (Prov 21:2)! Therefore, we must let go of any doubts and fears by completely trusting in Him (Prov 3:5). As God’s children (1 Jn 3:1), we need to remember that no matter how bad it may get, nothing can “separate us from the love of Christ” (Rom 8:35) – His great love for us never ceases.

 It is His tender “mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” (v. 22). If you ever doubted God’s love for you, then look no further than Calvary’s cross (Rom 5:8). We can never use up all of His compassions, because they “are new every morning” (v. 23) – He starts up with a clean slate every single day! Since “the Lord is my portion” (v. 24), He is the source of all my joy and blessings (Neh 8:10). I am “content” (Php 4:11), with all His provisions (Php 4:19)!

 We must always “quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord” – not necessarily the salvation of one’s soul from hell (Rom 6:23), but His gracious deliverance from all our troubles and trials. Instead of taking matters into our own hands, we must “wait patiently for Him” (Ps 37:7), and “seek His face” (1 Chr 16:11). Because if we focus on our problems, we’ll end up being depressed; but if we focus on Jesus, we’ll surely be blessed! God bless you!

- Pastor Melito Barrera