DAY 272- BIG PICTURE IN A YEAR - THE EXILE
Reading: Jeremiah 34
Just for a moment, we’re going to turn back the clock so that we can pick up on the story of Jeremiah, the prophet who was left behind.
When Nebuchadnezzar first besieged Jerusalem, he took King Jeconiah to Babylon and placed Zedekiah on the throne of Judea in his place. The new king, however, had no intention of remaining the obedient servant of his Babylonian master and secretly looked for a way of throwing off the Babylonian yoke. With his chief officers and leaders of his army gone, and the country greatly impoverished, Zedekiah knew that he could not achieve independence without outside help. He turned to Egypt for help, since the ever-growing power of Babylon was a threat to Egypt too.
In those critical times, the great prophet Jeremiah of Anathoth was the God-sent messenger to warn the people of the mortal danger hanging over their heads. He did not cease calling on the king and the people to mend their ways and return to God. Jeremiah tried to convince the king that it was useless to depend on false hopes of freeing himself from the Babylonian yoke with the help of Egypt.
Are you like King Zedekiah? Looking for help in all the wrong places while ignoring God. For some reason, we all do this from time to time. I want to encourage you to simply turn to God today, in a simple admission of your neediness.
Prayer
Lord, I’m aware of how easy it is to shift my gaze from You to some idol – please show me where I am doing that so that I can change.
FOR THE FAMILY
Continue watching this video over the next few days with the family