Jer 29:7-8 Seek peace, don't let prophets and diviners deceive you with your own dreams.
Jer 29:7-8 Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper. Yes, this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: "Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have."
Now, a few more verses after these are three of my favorite verses in the Bible, Jer 29:11-13. Kind of a highlight of my faith. But, the verses in 7-8 really are really, really, really applicable to us today.
We feel as if America is in some way doomed. Or perhaps that our best is behind us. I think a lot of people feel that, and don't understand where it comes from. But, it was made clear to the Israelites taken into exile in Babylon, and it applies to us today.
God commanded those Israelites to live. To stop waiting, stop living as if they were apart from the life that God had sent them into. The Babylonians were not Jewish, they did not behave in a way that was in keeping with the Jewish law. The city's greatness redounded to the Babylonian king, not to the glory of God, or so the Israelites believed.
But, God loved them still. Even though they were in exile, even though they had broken the Law and continued to defy it, God had a plan and a purpose. But, while that plan worked, the Lord had put them there with purpose.
His instructions were specific and simple, seek peace and prosperity. Pray for it. Do not listen to the wrong you encourage people to tell you.
It is a very apt lesson to us today. Regardless of political affiliation, this season is one that will try the American soul. It seems there is no purpose to supporting either side of a two headed coin. Perhaps there is some redeeming feature we see in one of the sides to our election debate, but be sure there are an equal number that do not.
But, we have decided to settle this by argument and defamation and anger. I think we need to remember how God cared for His children in exile in Babylon. Though they were not exactly where they wanted to be, physically and emotionally, they were there. So, the Lord spoke and told them, seek PEACE AND PROSPERITY. PRAY FOR IT. Because, if you seek those things for the nation around you, you too WILL PROSPER IN PEACE.
Look, I am one of the chief voices crowing about how terrible our choices are. Even though we study the Word, we all stumble in it. But, we are not to fight each other, and be so divided and so angry. We are to seek peace and prosperity, for one is of no value without the other. And, we are doing a pretty poor job of seeking those things.
We are doing a fine job of having a good, old fashioned, name calling, hair pulling, spit in your face election cycle. We have had them before. But, the example set in Jeremiah has meaning for us today. We are all in exile, not yet restored to our place at Jesus' side. We encourage "prophets" that say what we feel, or confirm our fears, or echo our issues. We tell them what to dream, and then get rabid, angry at pointing out they told us exactly what we expected to hear.
The answer is a simple one, but far from easy. Seek peace. Do not continue to encourage the anger and the nastiness. Be aware of our prosperity. Be honest, the nation in which we live is not economically depressed, regardless of all the yelling. Don't focus on those that echo our own view, exclusively. The Lord did not send them, no matter how convinced they might be that He did.
This is on us. And I think that this election, this field of very flawed humans running, this Congress of incredible ineptitude, was sent to us by God. This is the city, nation, that He placed us in. It is our job to pray over it, to seek the peace and prosperity of this land, and to reject the voices that disparage that. God has made us promises, but in His time, in His wisdom. No matter what our particular hope is, if it does not match God's time table, we are going to be hoping still.
For God has plans, plans to give us a hope and a future. And, when we seek Him, with our whole heart, we will find Him, and He will bless us even more. So, maybe it is not that the candidates are so awful, or not just that the candidates are so historically awful. Maybe, they are flawed because we are supposed to PRAY, SEEK, HOPE. Instead of argue, condemn and defame, maybe it is time to put some Christ in our words.
Because there are plenty speaking things that are not of God. And, we need to be very careful as to what we echo, for that reason. I would rather be "wrong" in the eyes of the nation, and right in the sight of God. Wouldn't you?
Pray, seek, hope. And the greatest power is and will always remain love. For God is love. We are not acting much in the image of love, and trust me, I am well aware of how I have been acting. Sometimes, the fervent efforts of a man are just wrong, and it is always the fervent prayer of a righteous man that wins the day. Pray, seek, hope. The Lord knows the plan, don't you trust Him?
GLYASDI
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