Just a few days ago I had a chance to warn someone about somebody in particular. I do so for their safety and protection based on personal experience. I do not yet know what they will decide. But if they go forward with their plans and something happens, it will be a punch to the gut.
Yes, each person is responsible for their own decisions. But it is still hard to take if you warn someone and they proceed anyway. I hope that doesn’t happen in this situation. But it happened with Jeremiah.
After rescuing a group of Israelite, Johanan asked Jeremiah if they should seek refuge in Egypt. Jerusalem just seemed too dangerous. Jeremiah prayed. And after 10 days he received a clear word. Don’t go to Egypt.
When he told Johanan, he accused Jeremiah of lying. He was arrogant and had just accomplished an extraordinary rescue, and he did not want to truly listen to Jeremiah. Even though he had said he would.
So Johanan took the remnant of Judah as well as Jeremiah and his assistant Baruch and left for Egypt. When they got to Egypt the Lord spoke to Jeremiah.
He had him set some stones into the ground and then said that one day the King of Babylon would come and set his pavilion over these stones. Not only that but he would be victorious over Egypt, cleaning up Egypt like picking off lice from a blanket.
It was a reiteration of the original Word – Don’t go to Egypt.
One of the hardest things is to trust God when it doesn’t make sense. But yet to not do so is to think we know better. Johanan was sure he knew better. But it would turn out to be bitter for them all.
Whenever we sin we are telling God we know better. Whenever we reject what He leads us to we are saying we know better. Trust is everything.
On a very small scale yesterday I got a call from the car repair man. My very expensive car repair was actually going to cost twice as much.
Having just read that Gedaliah as far as we know didn’t seek the LORD, I decided to learn from him and seek the LORD. Was I to do the additional car repair? It was well beyond my ability to pay it. And who wants to put car repairs on a credit card? But if it was needed it was still cheaper than buying a new car. Ugh.
So I said a prayer and then my mind wandered. I was in that place of mental oblivion that happens sometimes when we pray when I heard clearly to only do the first repair. I wasn’t sure it was the Lord. That’s always the first question. Did I really hear from God correctly?
I did some online research and called the mechanic to ask more questions. I had a measure of peace with doing the first repair but the second repair was stressful to me as I couldn’t pay it. So I told him to just do the first repair.
Immediately he said to me, “If I were you that’s what I would do.”. At first I was glad for his affirmation. Second I was irritated because why tell me everything about the second repair if I really don’t need it that bad? And third I was grateful to the LORD. Because I felt like it was affirmation from Him.
When we pray and hear from the LORD, it is good to get some attestation that it is from the LORD and not from us. But most important when we pray we need to be in the posture of obeying.
A few years ago I did not do that and it cost me a sickening amount of money.
Trust is a muscle. And as such we need to keep it in shape.
