Never A Good Time To Give Up! Part II

Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Part II

A letter in a letter! That would be a good way to describe Jeremiah 29. Or we could say, “in the middle of a dark message is a bright light!” That would be another way to describe Jeremiah 29. Verse 11 is not the only bit of good news in this letter. There are five “bits of good news” contained in Jeremiah’s “letter in a letter.” The first bit of good news is found in verse 4.

God had not forgotten the people of Judah. He was angry with them. He was sending judgment their way but he had not forgotten them nor was he giving them the silent treatment. Note verse 4. “This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:” God was speaking to them.

Have you ever gone through tough times and felt as if God was giving you the silent treatment or that He had forgotten you? Remember Job’s wife? She encouraged Job to forget about God since it appeared that God had forgotten about Job.

If you haven’t gone through times like this, you will. Sorry. But life is tough at times. People make poor choices that cause great dilemmas for us. And sometimes we don’t even have to count on others and their choices. We are quite capable on our own to make enough poor choices and get ourselves in a pickle. We don’t need help doing that.

So when you go through these times, always remember that God hasn’t forgotten you. He has your name written on his hand. He still remembers the details of your life even down to the hairs on your head or the hairs that used to be there for some of us.

No matter how you feel today or how you will feel in the days to come, you are not forgotten. God knows your name and has His eye on you!

Remember what our friend Job said in chapter 23:8-10 “But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. {9} When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him. But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.”

Remember, it’s never a good time to give up!

Always in Pursuit!

Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Never a Good Time to Give Up!

Recently I was given the opportunity to speak to a church which had been going through some tough times.  Along with the request to speak to them was the request I speak from Jeremiah 29:11. It’s a familiar passage but I will put it here for you to read: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

What a great passage for those who are going through difficult times. It’s easy during those times to want to give up. Unfortunately, many do. If you read through Scripture you will find many folks who went through tough times and didn’t give up. I often think of Moses leading Israel through the wilderness for 40 years. I wonder how many times he wanted to give up? And the Apostle Paul comes to mind. He was arrested, beaten, left for dead, shipwrecked, snake-bitten, went without food and sleep and continually endured the attacks of those who followed after him to “undo” the good he had done. I’m sure these men, along with the men and women we read about in the Hall of Faith (Hebrews 11), had thoughts of giving up just like you and I do from time to time.

Times are tough. Finances are tough. Relationships are always challenging. Morals are in a tail spin. Jobs are tenuous at times. Our schools are in turmoil, families are facing new challenges and many marriages seem to be on the brink of divorce. These are tough times. More than ever we need to hang on to verses like Jeremiah 29:11.

Verse 11 is the conclusion of a letter embedded in the book of Jeremiah, written by the prophet in order to encourage those going into exile. Most of the 52 chapters of Jeremiah are chronicles of what Judah had done to deserve this punishment. The book is not a bright light or one full of hope and feel good thoughts. But chapter 29 is a letter encouraging Judah to go to Babylon, live their lives, be faithful to the Lord there and wait for the hand of God to restore them to their homeland.

Jeremiah’s letter starts in verse 4 of chapter 29 and concludes with the familiar ring of verse 11. Over the next few days, I want to share the five things Jeremiah includes for the exiles about tough times. They are hopeful words, words you and I need to know, and words that still ring out with the truth of God’s love for us even when we are going through tough times.

It’s not time to give up! It’s never time to give up. So if you are going through tough times, read through Jeremiah 29 and make up your mind, “I’m not going to give up!” God has a plan! And it’s a good plan! Just for you!

Always in Pursuit!