Reassurance for Israel
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Jeremiah 46:1-28, Jeremiah 47:1-7, Jeremiah 48:1-47, Psalm 103:15-19, John 4:23
BY Maria Furlough
Six years ago, on this day, I said both hello and goodbye to my sweet baby boy Gideon. Through his life and death, I tasted destruction and the threat of despair for the very first time. I moaned and wept as the walls I had built around my life came crashing down. I wondered, can God possibly heal this?
The words of Jeremiah chapters 46–48 detail another destruction story, one where we find despair in almost every verse, leaving us to wonder if hope for humanity is even possible. Can God possibly heal this?
The people of Egypt “are terrified, they are retreating… terror is on every side!” (Jeremiah 46:5). The Philistines “will cry out, and every inhabitant will wail… they will be utterly helpless” (Jeremiah 47:2–3). The Moabites “will be shattered; her little ones will cry out” (Jeremiah 48:4). Darkness had fully overtaken these countries, and we learn why: because they trusted in their “work and treasures” (Jeremiah 48:7). And yet, for those who put their trust in God, there is a light that rises up. In the middle of the dark, destruction, and despair, we see that God has never left the side of those who call Him Lord.
No one in humanity is spared; death will reach each and everyone of us. At some point, whether Israelite or Egyptian, Christian or non-Christian, the walls of our lives, our cities, our possessions will come crashing down. But for those who do put their hope in God, we are not to be afraid because He promises to be with us (Jeremiah 46:27–28). Our hope does not lie in circumstances, works, or treasures; therefore, we have nothing to fear.
“Do not be afraid.” These were the words my sweet Jesus brought to my mind every morning after Gideon died. In the moments when I was beating my pillow and pleading with God to somehow give me my baby back, He was with me. In the mornings when I wept at Gideon’s graveside, wondering if I would ever get up, God was there. This is the promise we have when we give our lives to Jesus. When we choose to follow God, when we accept Jesus’s death for us as atonement for our sins, and when we seek to follow Him each and every day, then even when terror and wailing come, we have hope.
So He’s shown me the answer to my question is, yes, God can heal even this, whatever this may be. And so it is within these passages from Jeremiah: Yes, God can heal this too. Therefore, we stand in confidence, and in all things remember that, “As for man, his days are like grass… But from eternity to eternity, the LORD’s faithful love is toward those who fear him” (Psalm 103:15,17).
58 thoughts on "Reassurance for Israel"
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I went to bed very late last night! My own fault. And as I really wanted to sleep, my daughter really wanted to talk. She wept, and talked and I did my best to listen. She was already awake when I got up this morning. We read God’s Word and devotional together. Maria’s words were so timely. A couple of times I broke down reading it but made it through. I am blessed that my daughter was next to me listening. I pray that it gives my daughter hope that her heart will heal and that she does not need to be afraid because God is with her.
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He is a God of miracles. I’m praying for your children. For total healing from this betrayal. To be free from the hurt. To see Gods unfailing love for them. That this sin will not destroy them, and they will be blessed.
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❤️ thank you
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Praying for you Kara.. hoping, NO knowing, the God who says Do not fear, is the same God who will hear the cries of one He loves so desperately, and around whom, He will wrap His loving arms in comfort and His goodness and peace..
Love wrapped hugs Kara.
Ge us near, always to the broken hearted..❤ -
Melanie, I am so sorry to hear that happened to your family. Praying alongside you that God can and will heal all things. Nothing is too big for Him.
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Kara praying you feel the Lord’s love overwhelm you. He loves you so and will hold you in His grace. Know He never leaves you. Peace to your heart. What strikes me again in today’s reading is God’s continued grace for and desire for His people to draw near to Him. Past His anger always into Love
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Thank you ladies for your daily dose of confident hope! Blessed to be a part of this group of God seekers who so openly share their hearts and encouragement!
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“When we choose to follow God, when we accept Jesus’s death for us as atonement for our sins, and when we seek to follow Him each and every day, then even when terror and wailing come, we have hope.” -Maria Furlough. And hope does not put us to shame, Romans 5:5. We live for Him because He lived, died, and rose, willingly, for us. John 10:16-19. Now our life is in Him, Colossians 3:3-4. So we willingly bear suffering, persecution, hurt, we forgive and live in God’s ways. I pray that I would glorify Him in all I do, trust Him because of who He is, and never put my trust or allegiance in anything or anyone else. Collosians 3:17.
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Praying for you Kara.
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