Scripture:  Jeremiah 3:16—4:2

“And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the Lord, “you will no longer wish for ‘the good old days’ when you possessed the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant. You will not miss those days or even remember them, and there will be no need to rebuild the Ark. In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord.’ All nations will come there to honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires” (Jeremiah 3:16, 17, NLT).

Observation:

In the midst of God’s lament about his people’s faithlessness, he speaks good news. He announces a time when all people, not just the Israelites, would be in covenant with him. This new covenant would not need the external symbolic God’s presence, the Ark of the Covenant. No one would long for the past because the present would be superior. With God enthroned within them, his people no longer are led astray by evil desires.

Application:

Am I fully attuned to God’s Spirit within me so that each day is better than the one before? Am I able to live without external symbols of God’s presence because I am burningly aware of God within me? Has my intimacy with God deepened from taking advantage of moment-by-moment opportunities to trust him? Have I followed him so closely that I know I can rely on him? Has my practiced reliance on him dissolved my stubborn pursuit of selfish desires?

Prayer:

Father, thank you for continually giving me more of yourself. Thank you for the abiding presence of your Spirit. Increase my trust in you; strengthen my reliance on you. Show me where I am stubbornly following my own path instead of living in and through your Son. In whose name I pray, Amen.