“For thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” Jer 29:10
This evening the good Lord reminded me that in His perfect time, He will perform his “good word”. For the Israelites, it was seventy years of captivity and then He would bring his promised deliverance. I was really struck with the fact that God has alloted a designated time frame. God had not forgotten his promises, and he was not doing things in an arbitrary manner. He had a purpose that required a certain amount of time. Seventy years were allotted for them before God performed his promises to them. This verse comes directly in front of a very well-known and recited verse that has given many hope in the midst of a painful wait. The famous verse of which I speak is Jeremiah 29:11: “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (KJ). In the NIV, “to give you a hope and future.“ God is so good. He really has wonderful plans for us, but there is a time frame for these plans-and that time frame is always the rub.
Before God declared the 70 years and the promise, the false prophet, Hananiah, had been prophesying a much shorter time frame. He had been telling them that God would deliver them from Babylon in two years-a difference of 68 years! (Jer 28:11). I think that it is interesting that the people were being deceived into having an unrealistic expectation of God’s timing. Have you ever noticed that the expectation of a short wait is what generally gets us into trouble? While Moses was mountain climbing for the 10 commandments the people were making a hideous golden calf to worship because he was taking much too long! Abe, the father of our faith, rushed ahead of God and had Ishmael when he grew impatient with God's time frame. It’s no wonder that the word constantly reminds us to wait expectantly on the Lord. When we get our time frames mixed up we miss what God has for us. We miss His good word, the fulfillment of His promises.
But then listen to the true word, the word of the Lord, not the false prophet: “For thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” The truth is that while the trial will not end when I think that it should, it will end! This little passage encourages and comforts my heart. Our heavenly Father is just so good, and he has precious plans of peace, to give us an expected end. We must not lose heart. Wait on Him. In time He will fulfill his good word , and He will bring a good end to the long wait! I hope that someone else may also be encouraged to wait on the Lord and not lose hope.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.
This evening the good Lord reminded me that in His perfect time, He will perform his “good word”. For the Israelites, it was seventy years of captivity and then He would bring his promised deliverance. I was really struck with the fact that God has alloted a designated time frame. God had not forgotten his promises, and he was not doing things in an arbitrary manner. He had a purpose that required a certain amount of time. Seventy years were allotted for them before God performed his promises to them. This verse comes directly in front of a very well-known and recited verse that has given many hope in the midst of a painful wait. The famous verse of which I speak is Jeremiah 29:11: “ For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” (KJ). In the NIV, “to give you a hope and future.“ God is so good. He really has wonderful plans for us, but there is a time frame for these plans-and that time frame is always the rub.
Before God declared the 70 years and the promise, the false prophet, Hananiah, had been prophesying a much shorter time frame. He had been telling them that God would deliver them from Babylon in two years-a difference of 68 years! (Jer 28:11). I think that it is interesting that the people were being deceived into having an unrealistic expectation of God’s timing. Have you ever noticed that the expectation of a short wait is what generally gets us into trouble? While Moses was mountain climbing for the 10 commandments the people were making a hideous golden calf to worship because he was taking much too long! Abe, the father of our faith, rushed ahead of God and had Ishmael when he grew impatient with God's time frame. It’s no wonder that the word constantly reminds us to wait expectantly on the Lord. When we get our time frames mixed up we miss what God has for us. We miss His good word, the fulfillment of His promises.
But then listen to the true word, the word of the Lord, not the false prophet: “For thus saith the Lord, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.” The truth is that while the trial will not end when I think that it should, it will end! This little passage encourages and comforts my heart. Our heavenly Father is just so good, and he has precious plans of peace, to give us an expected end. We must not lose heart. Wait on Him. In time He will fulfill his good word , and He will bring a good end to the long wait! I hope that someone else may also be encouraged to wait on the Lord and not lose hope.
Psalm 27:14
Wait for the Lord; Be strong, and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.
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