“5Thus says the Lord, The God of Israel: Like these good figs, so I will regard as good the exiles from Judah, whom I have sent away from this place to the land of the Chaldeans.” – Jeremiah 24:5 (ESV)
The Flisowski Family has felt like “exiles” for quite some time. We have been doing our level best to get by and every time we feel like we have turned a corner, we have another setback.
“8But thus says the Lord: Like the bad figs that are so bad they cannot be eaten, so will I treat Zedekiah the kin of Judah, his officials, the remnant of Jerusalem who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt.” – Jeremiah 24:8 (ESV)
We see the prosperity of those around us and feel as though they have something we do not and therefore we take ourselves deeper into despair.
We must remember that adversity brings us closer to God. When things are going great, we tend to take our eyes off of God and rely on ourselves. We are poisoned by prosperity. The adversity we feel is there to keep us humble. When we face that adversity and turn to God, a heart to know him is manifest.
“7I will give them a heart to know that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart.” – Jeremiah 24:7 (ESV)
“I will” is the phrase I focused on here. We face the adversity and then God gives. Until then, we must demonstrate our obedience and wait. As that adversity hits, God will show his favor on us and make us to return to him with our “whole heart”.
We have to continue looking to do the will of God in all situations and know that when it is more than we can handle, God “will give them a heart to know” and we will know that God is there for us and will allow us to be the children he already knew us to be.
Are you finding it difficult to make it? Are you feeling like the exile and wondering about why you are not having the prosperity you thought you should have? Maybe God is allowing the adversity to draw you closer to him. Will you come out of it with a “heart to know”?
Trevor's Thoughts 