Newsletter July 2024
A heart to know God
Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: ‘Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart. (Jeremiah 24:4-7)
At the time when God spoke these words through His prophet Jeremiah, Judah had been conquered by Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and many had been carried away into captivity while others were allowed to remain in Judah under Zedekiah, the new vassal king appointed by Nebuchadnezzar. It would seem at this point that those who were in captivity were in a worse place than those who had been allowed to remain. However, in this vision of the good and bad figs, God says that He has carried them away for their own good. It is precisely in their captivity that God would set His eyes on them for good.
As we experience both economic hardship and a fundamental change in values, many of the comforts we have known seem to be evaporating. In the face of such trouble and uncertainty, it is easy to become discouraged and complain. We might even feel that God has forgotten us. Yet it is precisely in our apparent ‘captivity’ in an increasingly hostile world that God wants to reveal Himself to His people in a deeper way. While the Covid lockdown was a time of adjusting and learning new ways of doing church services, we are now facing new challenges which require new adjustments. We therefore need to be still and seek God in order to hear what He is saying to us by His Spirit.
In this word to the prophet, God promises to give the captives of Judah a heart to know Him and to make them truly into His people. This transformation is God’s doing, His initiative. Yet there is, as always, a condition to His promise: they must return to Him, not half-heartedly, but with their whole heart. As it was then with Judah, it is now with us. God’s purpose is that we draw near to Him, give ourselves completely over to His Spirit, so that He can restore His image in us.
While God was working among the captives, raising up a new generation who would be faithful to His calling even in the face of death, the people left in Jerusalem continued to drift away from God’s presence. Instead of submitting to the Babylonians as Jeremiah urged them to do by the word of the LORD, they followed the advice of false prophets, took matters into their own hands and rebelled. As a result of their rebellion against Nebuchadnezzar, and ultimately against the purpose of God, they lost everything: their homes, their city and even their temple where they had worshipped God.
God is not limited by our circumstances. Let us therefore not be discouraged when we experience hardship. Rather let us like Paul glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. (Romans 5:3-5) Let us seek God’s face in every situation, remembering that He promised to be with those who love Him and put their trust in Him, working all things together for good. His divine purpose is to shape us into the image of His Son Jesus. (Romans 8:28-29)
Bishop Konrad