“Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the LORD our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the LORD our God.”
(Jeremiah 42:6)
Not everything God says is pleasant to listen to. Just like a well-balanced meal, His Word includes dessert, but it also has vegetables, protein, and it’s a good source of spiritual fiber.
The remnant of the people in the land made this bold statement to Jeremiah and it is the only good statement to come from this tiny remnant of Jews leftover after the Babylonian purge of the land. Unfortunately, they didn’t live up to it.
When Jeremiah came back with a command from God to stay when the people wanted to go, turns out that all of their talk about standing by God’s Word during the pleasant and the unpleasant times was exactly that… all talk.
What does it mean to put your faith in God? At least part of that equation is sticking with His plan even when it isn’t your plan, too. There comes a point when every God-fearing individual faces that crossroads:
- God wants us to be brave and we feel like hiding.
- God wants us to obey Him, but we fear the consequences if we do.
- God wants us to flee from temptation, but we want to linger beside if for a while longer.
- God wants us to serve, but we want to be served.
- God wants us to be peacemakers, but we want to win the war instead.
These are all tests of our faith. Will we accept God’s Word even when His voice is unpleasant to us? If not, can we truly say we follow His authority?
We love it when God gives us sweet words, but don’t forget to eat your vegetables, too.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites