Scripture:   Jeremiah 5:1-19

“Lord, you are searching for honesty. You struck your people, but they paid no attention. You crushed them, but they refused to be corrected. They are determined, with faces set like stone; they have refused to repent” (Jeremiah 5:3, NLT).

Observation:

By what means does God get the attention of his people who have strayed so far from him? The ancient Israelites ignored the prophets’ warning (v.13). They created their own deceitful theology (v.12), “he will not bother us,” and indulged in adultery (v.7), covetousness (v.8), idol worship (v.7), and rebellion (v.5). So God announces an enemy that will strip them of the things they have put their trust in—good harvests, children, flocks and herds, crops, and fortifications (v.17). The eventual destruction is both a judgment and a restructuring of the people’s relationship with God. Their future deprivation would force them to rely on the only One who was and is constant and capable of saving them.

Application:

What tools has God used to strip me of my self-reliance? To what fortifications am I falsely clinging so that I will feel safe? What if the storms and uncertainties of my life are not crosses to be born but opportunities to encounter God who loves me and longs for me to know him better?

Prayer:

Father, thank you pursuing me. Forgive my rebellion and my stubborn attempts to replace you, the Giver of all good things, with flimsy human structures. Give me your grace to embrace opportunities to be rid of my dishonesty. Heal me and place your truth within my heart. Increase my trust in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.