Countdown to Downfall (Sep 5)
In many ways the book of Jeremiah
deserves the title: The Life
and Ministry of a Man of God.
Chapters 1-33 center around Jeremiah’s prophetic sermons; chapters 34-52 deal primarily with
Jeremiah’s personal traumas & trials.
Whether in the midst of broken covenants, burnt scrolls or brutal
persecutions, Jeremiah stands
true to his prophetic mission.
Pleading with his countrymen to
go into exile voluntarily, Jeremiah watches as they resist Jerusalem’s collapse and captivity to the end.
Because of sin, Jerusalem was
destroyed, the temple was ruined
and the people were captured
and carried away to Babylon.
The people were responsible for
their destruction and captivity for
refusing to listen to God’s message.
Help us Lord not to ignore sin
for in doing so we invite disaster.
Help us not settle for half measures
in removing sins from our lives.
Help us to Learn Listening to You.
Help us to Receive Your Word.
Help us to Heed Your Direction.
In Jesus’ precious name we pray.
Lord, we will Learn to Listen to You:
I have sent… prophet after prophet
to tell you to turn from your wicked ways and to stop worshipping
other gods, so that you might live
in peace here in the land I gave to
you and your ancestors. But you
would not listen to me or obey.
Therefore the Lord God Almighty…
says: Because you refuse to listen
or answer when I call, I will send
upon Judah… all the disasters
I have threatened (Jer 35:15-17).
Help me to be a good listener to
Your voice speaking to my heart.
I don’t want to drown it out with
the noise and the busyness of life.
Help me to take every thought
captive in obedience to Your Word.
Keep me from entertaining any
unrighteousness in my thought life.
Enable me to be diligent in not
allowing anything into my mind
that does not glorify You. Amen.
Lord, we will Receive Your Word:
The king sent Jehudi to get the scroll.
Jehudi brought it… and read it to
the king as all his officials stood by.
It was late autumn and the king was
in the winterized part of the palace,
sitting in front of a fire to keep warm.
Each time Jehudi finished reading
three or four columns, the king took
a knife and cut off that section of
the scroll. He threw it into the fire,
section by section, until the whole
scroll was burned up. Neither the
king nor his attendants showed
any signs of fear or repentance
at what they heard (Jer 36:21-24).
Lord, we won’t stand over Your
Word in judgment, picking and
choosing what we will read, what
we will obey and what we will reject.
We want our home to be a place
where Your Word is welcomed
and received warmly. Amen.
Lord, we will Heed Your Direction:
Zedekiah son of Josiah succeeded
Jehoiachin as the king of Judah.
He was appointed by King Nebu-
chadnezzar of Babylon. But neither
King Zedekiah nor his officials
nor the people who were left in
the land listened to what the Lord
said through Jeremiah (Jer 37:1-2)
I ask for clear direction in my life.
Help me to hear and understand
what it is. I don’t want to miss
Your instructions to my heart
because I would not listen.
Help me to act immediately on
the guidance You give me and
not ignore it. Show me what to
do and enable me to do it. Amen.