Our scripture this morning is Jeremiah 33:6-9.
Behold, I will bring to it health and healing, and I will heal them; and I will reveal to them an abundance of peace and truth. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel and will rebuild them as they were at first. I will cleanse them from all their iniquity by which they have sinned against Me, and I will pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me and by which they have transgressed against Me. It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.
Jeremiah is known by some scholars as “the weeping prophet” because many of his writings deal with the destruction of Jerusalem and the captivity in Babylon. He preached that the children of Israel were bringing this upon themselves because they refused to listen and obey God. He became so strident in his attempts that he was eventually imprisoned by the king and only freed when Babylonian invaders raided the prison.
How often are we unwilling to hear bad news, voices that tell us we are on the wrong path? No one likes to be told we are sinning, but it is part of our call in Christ to share both the warning and the blessing of the Good News. In this life we will always have difficulty to deal with and only through faith and obedience can we do so successfully.
However, Jeremiah tells them (and us) that we are children of a forgiving God, who wants us back and will “pardon all their iniquities by which they have sinned against Me” (v. 8). God has plans for His people and for each of us individually. Accept the gift of forgiveness and live in His grace.
Loving Lord, we stumble and fall through our own obstinate disobedience. We ask Your pardon, restore us to full relationship with You to be productive disciples. Amen.