Those affected by Hurricane Harvey are as desperate as the Hebrews were after Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians. They don’t know what to do. Will their lives ever go back to normal?

Jeremiah 42:3, “Pray that the Lord your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.” Modern English Version

Throughout our readings today, God told the Hebrews to trust, obey, and not to fear.

Jeremiah 42:11, 12, “Do not be afraid…of whom you are now afraid….For I am with you to save you and to deliver you from his hand. I will show mercies to you so that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.” Modern English Version

We all are hearing the bad news today. But God is moving and He has a plan. He takes us through the flood because our enemies can’t swim.

1. Muslims are coming to Christ faster than ever before. “A Wind in the House of Islam,” David Garrison.
2. The gospel is transforming China. “The Telegraph” reported that Christianity is growing so fast in China that it will most likely be considered a Christian nation by 2030.
3. We are in a church-planting boom. Church expert Ed Stetzer says new churches are actually being planted…more quickly than old ones are dying – and research shows that 60 to 80 percent of people who join new churches are from unchurched backgrounds.
4. Latin America is experiencing a political and spiritual awakening. Political change in Venzuela…leftist governments are losing power. Similar movements…are occurring in Argentina, Brazil, and other Latin American countries…evangelical churches are growing at unprecedented rates.
5. The Bible is still the most popular book ever. It’s also the best-selling and most widely distributed book. Nearly four billion copies…sold globally in the last five decades – far exceeding any other book.
6. The popularity of faith-based films has caught Hollywood by surprise…
7. Popular Bible teachers get as much traction on social media as secular celebrities.
8. The amount of Christian content on YouTube is staggering.

“Don’t Let Bad News Steal Your Joy,” by J. Lee Grady, Charisma Magazine, February 2016

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Our hearts are breaking for those enduring the flooding from Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas. The city looks like a sea and the pictures are devastating.

It is encouraging to see the volunteers who are rescuing the stranded. The need is so overwhelming we don’t know what to do and our prayers seem feeble in comparison. We have no words to comfort our friends and loved ones driven out of their homes and businesses. But, at some point, they will return.

Jeremiah 40:12, “Then all the Jews returned out of all places wherever they were driven and came to the land of Judah, to Gedaliah at Mizpah and gathered very much wine and summer fruits.” Modern English Version

Driven from their homes, when they returned God gave a harvest to them. God will lead the Texans to a gathering place and they will get a harvest even in a disaster.

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After Ragweed blooms, I seek refuge in my bedroom. It is the farthest room from the front door. Unfortunately, our front door opens directly into our living room. The pollen count is high in that room.

I’ve learned to cope by putting snacks and drinks in the office or bedroom. It’s not as miserable as you would think; there is a piano in my bedroom and a keyboard in my office. Between those, the TV, computer, and my books I am well entertained. I am so glad God always provides a refuge if we continually look to Him.

Psalms 94:22, “But the Lord is my defense, and my God is the Rock of my refuge.” Modern English Version

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The city was in ruins. The people were captives. Their leaders and priests were dead. The only one they could turn to was God. They had to trust Him to take care of them. They had to wait for Him to help them.

Lamentations 3:24, ” ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in Him.’ ” Modern English Version

Waiting is hard, idling is worse. Ask God what he would have you do while you wait.

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“Are we there yet?”

“How much longer will it take?”

These are two questions that drive parents crazy on long car trips. The tired kids just want to know when the trip will end.

We do the same thing to God when we don’t understand why we are suffering, in pain or just uncomfortable. The Israelites asked that question when Jerusalem fell and they became captives in Babylon.

Psalms 74:1, “O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?” Modern English Version

I asked God the same question after a few years of being housebound for medical reasons. In my heart, I felt He said three years. I thought that meant after three years I would be healed and would go back to my former life.

I was wrong. After three years, I understood my assignment for the next chapter of my life. I no longer ask, “How long?” Now I ask, “What do You want me to do while I am here?”

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Jeremiah wrote this prayer after he bought a piece of family land from his cousin, (v. 8). He didn’t even know if he would ever see it.

Jeremiah 32:17, “Ah, Lord God! Truly, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm, and there is nothing too hard for you.” Modern English Version

At the time, he was in prison in the court of the guard, (v. 2). The city was under siege by Nebuchadnezzar, (v. 2). They were running out of food, (see Jeremiah 37:21). They were running out of time. The next year was the final year before they captured Zedekiah, (see Jeremiah 32:1; 2 Kings 24:18).

God kept having him prophesy the loss of the city to the Chaldeans and no one wanted to hear it, (vv. 3-5). But in his prayer, Jeremiah did not rehearse his circumstances. He rehearsed the greatness of his God and listed his mighty feats, (vv. 17-22).

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Yesterday we gathered to honor Uncle Bill. The service was short and the music was country – Johnny Cash, June Carter, and Hank Williams, Jr. It was an appropriate service for a man born in the depression, who served in the Navy, worked hard all his life, and lived in a small town without a stop light.

I jumped when the guns went off in salute. I always do. They are louder than I expect. As the last notes of “Taps” died away, a shadow went over the sun – the total eclipse had begun.

The eerie semi-darkness lasted through the funeral dinner. It was as if God was sharing our sorrow.

He was. He does.

Jeremiah 31:35, “Then says the Lord, who gives the sun for a light by day and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, who stirs up the sea so that the waves roar, the Lord of Hosts is His name.” Modern English Version

* * * * * * *

“Ordinance…(2) an authoritative order, a decree.”

Bill saw many sunrises and sunsets. He endured many storms in the Navy. He finished his work.

Jeremiah 31:16, “Thus says the Lord: Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears; for your work shall be rewarded,…” Modern English Version

Just like the ending of the eclipse, we will not walk in the shadow of grief forever. Time makes the loss easier to bear and we will find laughter in our memories. As Uncle Bill would say,

“You’re right about that, kid.”

Jeremiah 31:13, “…for I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow.” Modern English Version

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