God Expects Justice & Integrity
Jeremiah 4-6 paints word picture
of the coming Babylonian invasion.
You can almost hear the hoofbeats
of the horses, the war cries of the
invading Chaldeans, the screams
of anguish from God’s people
as they experience the deadly consequences of their rebellion.
For Judah pursues every kind of loathsome act & proud indulgence.
Jeremiah addresses God’s people
as they head towards exile. Jeremiah
began preaching in the reign of
Josiah as the king ushered reform.
But in less than one generation,
this was all swept away. Spiritual
compromise and complacency
were order of the day & God looked
in vain for a person in Jerusalem
who stood for justice & godliness.
Help us Lord learn from Jeremiah
even as he brings forth Your Word.
Lord, we Confess our Shortcomings;
Lord, we Grasp Your Emotions; and
Lord, we Respond to Your Pleading.
In precious name of Jesus we pray.
Lord, we Respond to Your Pleading:
For thus says the Lord to the
people of Judah and Jerusalem,
surrender your pride and power.
Change your hearts before the
Lord or My anger will burn like
an unquenchable fire because
of all your sins (Jeremiah 4:3-4).
O my soul! I am pained in my very heart… The sound of the trumpet,
the alarm of war. Destruction
upon destruction is cried…
For My people are foolish,
they have not known Me… They
are wise to do evil, but to do good,
they have no knowledge (v19,22).
Lord, we hear Your repeated plea
for Your people to mend their ways.
We can see that You punish only
reluctantly and only as a last resort.
Help us Lord to appreciate Your
compassionate love that You even
send Your Son to die in our place.
Help us share the gospel even as
You hold back judgment. Amen.
Lord, we Confess our Shortcomings:
Let me fear You Lord my God,
who gives autumn and spring rains
in season and who assures us
of the regular weeks of harvest.
My wrongdoings keep me from
experiencing Your blessings,
and my sins deprive me of
the good (Jeremiah 5:24-25).
Lord God, I bring my sins to You…
Spare me the bondage of habitual
sin and the aftermath of regret.
Let the tenderness of Your mercies
incline me towards Your virtues.
And let the pleasures found in You
dwarf all lesser pleasures. Amen.
Lord, Fill us with Your Emotions:
To whom shall I speak and give
warning that they may hear?
Indeed their ear is uncircumcised
and they cannot give heed.
Behold the word of the Lord is
a reproach to them; they have no delight in it. Therefore I am full of
the fury of the Lord (Jer 6:10-11).
Lord, fill me with Your feelings,
regardless of what they are.
Help me love what You love,
rejoice over Your joys and be
angry at whatever angers You.
Shape my heart & let my prayers
and actions flow from what
You have put within me. Amen.