Meditating on Jeremiah 40-45

Divine Direction In Troubled Times

Though God’s people have marched
into exile, God’s Word continues
to come through the mouth of His
prophet. When Nebuchadnezzar
establishes a puppet governor over
the city of Jerusalem, Jeremiah
chooses to remain in the city –
and urges his countrymen to do
the same. But after Gedaliah’s
brutal assassination, the surviving
Jews disregard God’s command
and flee to Egypt for safety, taking
the unwilling prophet with them.
There Jeremiah predicts Egypt’s
destruction and Judah’s discipline
at the hands of Jehovah for knowing
what to do but refusing to do it.

Sovereign God wisely and lovingly
directs all creation to fulfil His
plans and He brings events to
pass according to His timetable.
As He is Lord over all the world and
because of God’s power and love,
our duty is to submit to His authority.
Lord, we Submit to Your Plan.
Lord, we Accept You are In Control.
Lord, we Trust You Get Us Through.
In Jesus precious name we pray.

Lord, we will Submit to Your Will:
Pray for us to the Lord for all this
remnant… that the Lord your God
may show us the way in which
we should walk and the thing
we should do (Jeremiah 42:2-3).
Do not be afraid of the king of
Babylon… for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand…
All the men who set their faces
to go to Egypt to dwell there.
They shall die by the sword,
by famine and by pestilence.
And none of them shall remain
or escape from the disaster that
I will bring upon them (v11 & 17).
Lord, it is good to look at the way
You God has worked in the past.
But this doesn’t mean we ignore
what You are saying at present.
For what seems sensible may go
against the bigger picture that
only the all knowing God can see.
Tell us Lord what we should do and
prompt us to check out Your will
on a regular basis. In Jesus’ name.

Lord, we Accept You are In Control:
The people refused to obey the Lord
and went to Egypt, going as far as
Tahpanhes. The Lord told Jeremiah:
While people of Judah are watching,
bury large rocks…at the entrance of Pharaoh’s palace here in Tahpanhes.
Then say to the people of Judah.
The Lord Almighty the God of Israel
says: I will surely bring my servant
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon,
here to Egypt. I will set his throne on
these stones I’ve hidden (Jer43:7-10)
Lord, the root of the rebellion of the
Jews was fear; for they were more afraid of Nebuchadnezzar than God.
They were more impressed by the king of Babylon’s power to punish them than by God’s ability to save.
Help us realise U Lord is sovereign
and is in control over all things.
And cause our hearts to abide in You
rather than turn against You. Amen.

Lord, we Trust You’ll Get Us Thro:
The word that prophet Jeremiah
spoke to Baruch in the fourth year
of Jehoiakim king of Judah saying:
Should you then seek great things
for yourself? Seek them not.
For I will bring disaster in all
people, declares the Lord, but
wherever you go I will let you
escape with your life (Jer 45:1-5).
Lord, be with me in the most trying
areas of my life, helping me in
ways I may not even comprehend.
Your Word says even though there may be troubles ahead when I walk with You, You will not let me fall.
Help me not to complain when
I go through difficult situations.
For You will Make A Way through
or provide means of escape. Amen.