Where’s God
in the cancer riddled body lying in the Palliative Care Unit?
Where’s God
in the crumpled metal frame lying by the side of the road while the wail of an
ambulance fades into the distance?Where’s God when life is tough?
You may have
asked these, or similar questions. Right
now you might be shaking your fist and screaming at God, demanding an answer to
a tough question.
We all face
circumstances in life that don’t make sense.
And we wonder, “Where’s God?”
Sometimes we
don’t get answers, but sometimes God leaves us clues.
Today and
next week I want to share insights from the book of Jeremiah. I hope by the end of these two posts we’ll
have a little more clarity to the anguished question, “Where’s God?”
Jeremiah is
a prophet, called by God to preach a message of repentance to the kingdoms of
Israel and Judah. Jeremiah’s message
isn’t popular, but he remains faithful to God, persisting in warning the
rebellious nations, Israel and Judah, of the dire consequences they’ll face if
they don’t stop worshiping other Gods.
Like most of
us, Israel and Judah are stubborn. They
fail to heed Jeremiah’s warning.
Jerusalem is overthrown.
Eventually the people of both nations are taken into exile. Things look pretty bleak to the prisoners of
war, as their victors herd them towards a life of exile in Babylon.
But God
sends this message to Jeremiah…
“After King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon exiled
Jehoiachin son of Johoiakim, king of Judah to Babylon along with the officials
of Judah and all the craftsmen and artisans, the Lord gave me this vision. I saw two baskets of figs placed in front of
the Lord’s Temple in Jerusalem. One
basket was filled with fresh, ripe figs, while the other was filled with bad
figs that were too rotten to eat.
Then the Lord said to me, ‘What do you see,
Jeremiah?’
I replied, ‘Figs, some very good and some
very bad, too rotten to eat.’
Then the Lord gave me this message: ‘This is
what the Lord, the God of Israel, says:
The good figs represent the exiles I sent from Judah to the land of the
Babylonians. I will watch over and care
for them, and I will bring them back here again. I will give them hearts that recognize me as
the Lord. They will be my people, and I
will be their God, for they will return to me wholeheartedly.’
‘But the bad figs,’ the Lord said,
‘represent King Zedekiah of Judah, his officials, all the people left in
Jerusalem, and those who live in Egypt.
I will treat them like bad figs, too rotten to eat. I will make them an object of horror and a symbol
of evil to every nation on earth. They
will be disgraced and mocked, taunted and cursed, wherever I scatter them. And I will send war, famine, and disease
until they have vanished from the land of Israel, which I gave to them and
their ancestors.’ “Jeremiah 24:1-10 (NLT)
Jeremiah
receives the “inside scoop” from God about the exiles. Here’s what I believe God is telling Jeremiah…
There are good
people living in Judah. People who have
potential to become a great and godly nation once more. But they’re mixed up with evil and corrupt
people.
By sending
them into exile God separates these good people from the evil, corrupt ones. He saves His people from the war and famine
that He knows will devastate the land.
By sending
them into exile God preserves their lives.
Here’s the
problem for the exiles…
In the midst
of the chaos; homes lost and lives changed overnight, the exiles can’t see or
understand God’s greater purpose. Like
us in the midst of turmoil, I imagine they wonder…”Where’s God? Why has He deserted us?”
Even though
they don’t know it and can’t see or understand it at the time, God is still
with the exiles. He continues to protect
and watch over them.
Quite often
our troubles overwhelm us. We give in to
fear.
The thing is
when we’re in the midst of our troubles, paralyzed by fear and uncertainty, we
don’t know the whole picture. We don’t
know what God’s doing behind the scenes.
We don’t have Jeremiah’s “inside scoop”.
This segment
of Jeremiah brings hope for the exiles and it brings hope for us, too. Even when we don’t see it, God is at work and
has a plan for us.
There’s more
good news for both the exiles and us a few chapters later in Jeremiah. Next week we’ll look at some other promises
God makes about taking care of his people.
To read
ahead, take a look at Jeremiah chapter 29.
That’s where we’ll be next week.
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