“‘At the same time,’ says the Lord, ‘I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be My people. Thus says the Lord: ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness – Israel, when I went to give them rest.’ The Lord has appeared from afar to me, saying: ‘Yes I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Again, I will build you, and you shall be rebuilt.'”
(Jeremiah 31:1-4a)
First and foremost, remember that we, as Believers, have been grafted into the families of Israel, therefore the covenant God made with Israel also belongs to us.
“I will be your God and you will be My people.”
As the Lord speaks to Israel in this passage, what is He saying to us?
He is addressing their time in the wilderness.
He is addressing OUR time in the wilderness.
Have you been going through a difficult time – a wilderness? Many Christians today are feeling oppressed, depressed, overwhelmed. There’s a whole lot of shaking going on.
Verse two reads, “The people who survived the sword (the battles) found grace in the wilderness – Israel, when I (the Lord) went to give them rest.”
Are you a survivor? God has given you grace in your wilderness. How did He do that? As He came to Israel in their wilderness, so He came to you in yours and brought you rest.
Rest = nu’ach (noo-ahch) means “to settle down, be soothed or quieted, to be secure, to be still, to dwell peacefully.”
Oh, beloved, let those words soak in. With His Presence, God has settled you, soothed and quieted your unrest. He has brought you security where there was fear. He has stilled your anguished heart and He has provided a way to dwell peacefully.
The Lord heard the cries of your heart and came to you to give you rest.
Peace, Peace. Wonderful peace.
Flowing down from the Father above.
Wash over my spirit forever I pray
In fathomless billows of love.
Father, Thank You for Your Presence. I so appreciate the fact that You desire to be with Your children. I appreciate the fact that when we cry out to You, You are faithful to hear our cry and come running to Your child. May we never take that for granted, Lord. What an awesome privilege it is to be Your child. Be glorified in us today, Lord. And thank You for giving us rest.
My husband passed 3 weeks ago. I am not coping well. These are encouraging words knowing God is with me.
Oh Elsie, I am so sorry for your loss, but so thankful for our hope of glory. I want you to know that your tears are precious to the Lord, so let them flow. Tears bring healing and are cleansing to our soul. I often think about how the Lord weeps when we weep. How do I know this? Because John 11:35 says, “Jesus wept.” This occurred when Lazarus died. When Jesus arrived on the scene, his friends Mary and Martha greeted Him. They were distraught with grief. THAT was when Jesus wept. He didn’t cry because Lazarus died — He knew Lazarus would live again. Jesus wept because Mary and Martha were heartbroken over their brother’s death. He wept because His friends were broken in grief. Isn’t that beautiful? Elsie, the Lord sees you and is drawing near to comfort you. Rest in this knowledge. Speak the Name of Jesus often … He will respond. When praying is too hard, speaking His Name will call to Him and He will come. He will hold you as you rest in His presence. I am covering you in prayer right now …