Ray of Sunshine. art

We are 8 months down with our reading of the Bible for this year! Now is the time to stay steady in the course or make a plan of action to recenter and either catch up or pick up where you left off.

We spent a lot of time this month in Jeremiah. We all have heard of him being referred to as the Weeping Prophet due to his prophecies being on the sadder side. He had a hard go of things because he was there to warn Judah of their transgressions and that it will lead to their destruction. We ultimately see that they do not listen and Judah falls in the hands of the Babylonians. I also find it interesting that he prophesied for 40 years, does that number seem familiar to you?!

One thing we find common with prophets is that they are often left alone. They are set apart from the rest of civilization and therefore cannot mix with their worldly ways. Jeremiah was no exception to this rule as he was not allowed to marry (16:2) and was ostracized from his family. This leads him to hold the burden of Judah’s impending doom all on his own- especially since the people were not listening to his warnings.

Another common theme is the call for repentance. Even though the people did not listen and were defeated at the hands of the Babylonians, there was still a message of hope that the people would one day return to their land. This is a message we still see coming to pass in present time.

One thing we can learn from Jeremiah is persistence to stay the course with God even when things are crumbling around it. We also learn the value and importance of repenting.

What were you takeaways from this month?