SWHW Bible Reading Plan: June 2021Sample

Top Takeaway from Alonda Tanner:

Did anyone else feel a little weighed down by the destruction and unrest in today's reading? Are you ready for something hopeful? 

I'll be honest: as I was reading Chapters 49 and 50 of Jeremiah, my heart was flooded with overwhelm. The wages of sin are heavy. My heart aches for those held captive to it; equally as much for the God-fearing people affected by it. Do you feel it? Is that tension real to you? Here's the hopeful side of the equation for those of us who answered, “Yes.”

God is not absent in these moments of unrest; nor is He moved. He is present, reliable, and sovereign as ever. 

It's easy to become distracted and weighed down by the visual confrontation between good and evil. As Jeremiah was sharing the graphic details of the judgment coming to the nations surrounding Israel, there's no doubt his heart was burdened; similar to the burden we feel when we look around our communities and see the spiritual rivalry affecting the lost and the saved people within them. 

Often our eyes fall on the chaos. Do you know what God's eyes are on? What He doesn't overlook?

His people.

In Jeremiah 50, God speaks to the prophet Jeremiah and says to him, 

 “My people have become lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill, they have forgotten their resting place.” Jeremiah 50:6

“Israel is a scattered flock, the lions have driven them away. The first one who devoured Him was the king of Assyria, and this last one who has gnawed His bones is Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.” Jeremiah 50:17

The Lord saw the condition of His people and He was grieved. So He set out not only to judge the wicked but to save captives. He set out to set His people free. 

Did you notice the similarities between this historical event and the first time God redeemed and delivered His people? (See Exodus Chapters 1-15.) He was then, and is still now, our Redeemer. 

Jeremiah 50:33-34 reads,

“This is what the Lord of armies says: The sons of Israel are oppressed, and the sons of Judah as well; and all who took them captive have held them firmly, they have refused to let them go. Their Redeemer is strong. The Lord of armies is His name; He will vigorously plead their case so that He may bring rest to their land, but turmoil to the inhabitants of Babylon.” Jeremiah 50:33-34

This is the same God who fights for you and me. The same Savior who brought the Israelites across the Red Sea, out of the grips of Egypt, the same Savior who brought the Israelites out from under the thumb of Babylon; the very same Savior who fights for you. And if you look at His track record, He has never lost a battle. 

Are you sitting a little bit taller now? Is hope springing up within you? It should be! Because no matter what you're facing today or what surrounds you tomorrow – you, a co-laborer with Christ (see 1 Corinthians 3:9) are fighting from a place of ongoing victory. You are seen. You are loved, and your victory is spoken for. 

Your Redeemer is alive and at work in your life. We have every reason to hope. 

Heavenly Father, we come to You today with grateful hearts. It's a joy and a comfort to know that Your eyes are on us even when the world seems messy. We are seen. We are not forgotten. You are here and You are fighting for us. You are the anchor of our hope. We thank You for being the One we can rely on in any and every circumstance. Thank You for being our forever Savior. In Your name, we pray, Amen.