Return to the Lord
Who Will Restore You
Who Will Restore You
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
More than once, Jeremiah was ready to give up. Of all the
prophets—except maybe John the Baptist—Jeremiah probably had it the worst. The
people just wouldn’t listen. He spoke God’s Word to them time and again,
calling them to repentance. But the more he cried out, the more they ignored him.
And it was even worse than that. They didn’t just ignore him; they got so tired
of him that they threw him into a pit so they wouldn’t have to listen to him. Today
they might call his District President to complain or conspire to throw him out
of the congregation.
The problem
was, there were other prophets. These prophets weren’t saying the same
things as Jeremiah. They were false prophets who told the people that Jeremiah didn’t
know what he was talking about. There were more of them, and they claimed he
was being too hard on them. “Jeremiah says that if you don’t repent, then Jerusalem is going to
fall? Of course God wouldn’t let that happen to His city. God wouldn’t let that
happen to His Temple. Everything’s going to be fine.” You hear similar messages
today. “God doesn’t want you to suffer.” “You will prosper in this life.” “If
you have a strong enough faith, you will be rich and you won’t get sick.” “Everything’s
going to be fine.”
But it wasn’t fine. Time was running
out. God’s patience was running out. And because of the people’s unfaithfulness
and idolatry, God was not only going to let His city and Temple be destroyed; He was going to send the
nations to do it. This was tough love for a stubborn and stiff-necked people. It
didn’t have to be this way. If they would repent, if they would trust the Lord,
they would be spared. But the people wouldn’t listen to the message He sent
Jeremiah to preach. The words of the false prophets were too sweet. Why walk
the narrow and difficult path of righteousness when they easy road of sin is so
wide? So they sent Jeremiah into the pit. The people continued on, comfortable
in their sin. Jeremiah wanted to quit. These unfaithful, idolatrous people
weren’t worth it.
But to God, they were worth any
price. So He wouldn’t let Jeremiah quit. He called the prophet to repentance. But
He promised Jeremiah that He was with him; He promised to help His prophet and
strengthen him. God tells Jeremiah, “I will restore
you, and you shall stand before me.” “I will make you to this people a fortified
wall of bronze; they shall not prevail over you.” “I will deliver you out of the hand of the
wicked, and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.” Those sweet
words and promises of God are exactly what the prophet needed; and they are
exactly what you need. Maybe you’ve been in Jeremiah’s place. Maybe you’ve been
at your wit’s end, ready to give up on others, maybe even give up on God. Maybe
things aren’t working out. Maybe the difficulties just seem to keep mounting
higher. Maybe it seems as if those who work evil, those who lie and deceive,
seem to be winning. Maybe you feel like Jeremiah, being called to repentance
when those others are the ones who need to repent!
But we must repent—this Lenten season
and all year through—for our own unbelief and mistrust, for believing His grace
is not sufficient for us. And so the call goes out to return to our gracious God
and His wonderful promises, for He promises to restore you, protect you, and
deliver you. These promises are true for us in Jesus. Though we are fallen in
sin and death, the cross of Jesus brings forgiveness and life from the dead.
God promises to raise up Jeremiah from the pit, and He will raise you up as
well from the pit of sin and death. Our Lord’s resurrection is our resurrection
by the power of Holy Baptism, and we will stand before God in righteousness and
purity forever. That’s His promise to you.
So no matter how bad things seem, no
matter how bad things get, remember the promises of the Lord to you. Repent and
return. He will restore you. He will sustain you. He is your life and your
salvation, and you are His dear child. In the name of the Father and of the Son
(+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The
peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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