SCRIPTURE:
“’I have heard you,’ replied Jeremiah the prophet. ‘I will certainly pray to the Lord your God as you have requested; I will tell you everything the Lord says and will keep nothing back from you.’ Then they said to Jeremiah, ‘May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us. Whether it is favorable or unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.’”
Jeremiah 42:4-6
OBSERVATION:
Jeremiah was very confident in his belief that his prayers would be received by the Lord and that the Lord would indeed answer. The people believed this too by replying that they would abide by whatever the Lord answered, whether it would be favorable or not. Furthermore, they promised to abide by the Lord’s reply stating that they know things would go well.
APPLICATION:
What catches my interest in these scriptures is the confidence they had that the Lord would indeed answer their prayers. Why? I ponder how often I am confident that God will answer my prayers each and every time, but rather hope that my prayers would be answered. I find myself praying and perhaps being a little like doubting Thomas, by pondering what would happen if my prayers were not answered and what my resolve would be. What speaks to me is that I can approach my prayer requests with a confidence that whatever the outcome, I know that my prayers and life are in great hands. God has been so faithful to me with even miraculous answers, yet, my carnal tendencies sometimes cause me to wonder if and what God’s response will be. I remember the slogan from the insurance company Allstate, “you’re in good hands with Allstate.” I need to always be reminded that I am in the best hands with the one and only all seeing, all knowing, and all loving God.
PRAYER:
Dear Lord, please supersede my tendencies to be a doubting or wondering Thomas with my prayer requests at times. You’ve been so faithful! I should most definitely know by now of your love and plans for me that I am in the best of hands, and that your plans for me are not to hurt me but my future and a hope.
