LifeLink Devotional

Wednesday, January 27, 2021

Please take a moment and read this passage of Scripture. It puts forth important principles for us as we consider the faithfulness of God.

Jeremiah 42:1-6 ¹  Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near ²  and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the LORD your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— ³  that the LORD your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” ⁴  Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the LORD your God according to your request, and whatever the LORD answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” ⁵  Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the LORD your God sends you to us. ⁶  Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the LORD our God.”

Here is a group of people who are living in fear. They ask God’s prophet Jeremiah for help from the Lord. Jeremiah recognizes that they are true seekers of God because he promises to pray to the Lord their God.  Then some significant statements are made.

1. Jeremiah would be a faithful witness to whatever God says. He promises to tell them exactly what God says and not hold anything back.
2. The people make a commitment to listen to whatever the Lord says and to obey His directions. Even if what God says is counter-productive to their preferences, they commit to obedience because it is the word of God.
3. The people declare that they want God to be the final judge of their obedience. They acknowledge that God is the true and faithful witness to how we all apply and obey God’s truth to our lives.

Hmmm. We need to consider whether or not we can make those three commitments.

1. Are we willing to speak whatever God says, even if it may offend or hurt others?
2. Are we willing to commit to obeying whatever God says, even if it is counter-productive to our personal values?
3. Are we ready to fully submit to God as the final judge of our integrity?

Here’s one more point to ponder. Your response to the three questions above will reflect the level of confidence you have in the faithfulness of God.

Pastor John