After crying out from the
dungeon and believing that God heard him, Jeremiah asked the Lord to
not hide his ear to his crying or breathing. In chapter three and
verse fifty-seven of Jeremiah's lament, we see Gods answer to his
prayer where we read:
You drew near in the
day that I called upon you: you said, Fear not.
The
verse begins, “You drew near in the day that
I called upon you:” Oh what a
comfort it must have been for Jeremiah after wondering for such a
long time whether the Lord was with him at all. He said, “You
drew near” which means “to
come near, approach, or enter into”, and He did so expeditiously
“in the day”. There was effort on Jeremiah's part “I
called upon you” which means to “call, call out, recite, cry
out, proclaim, or utter a loud sound”, and we can imagine the joy
and comfort enjoyed by Jeremiah as he heard the Lord's response and
felt the presence of the Lord with him.
The
verse continues, “you said, Fear not.” In addition to the
Lord's comforting presence, Jeremiah heard the Lord's comforting
words “Fear not” which means do not be “fearful,
dreadful or terrified”. Whereas we may deem Jeremiah's
circumstances worthy of fear, the Lord exhorted Jeremiah to not be
afraid.
The idea
of “fear not” is used some form or another in the Bible
over and over again. Sometimes the Bible conveys it in this manner
“do not be afraid” or “why are you so fearful”, and other
times the response of the Bible characters demonstrates that fear is
there “they were sore afraid”. Jeremiah knew fear, and he had
great reason for it. His circumstances and situations were beyond his
own capacity to handle. Once God's capacity was added, the advantage
leaned to Jeremiah's side. There was no longer need for fear because
Jeremiah could now factor in God. As we ponder the Lord's response to
Jeremiah perhaps we are in need of the assurance of God's comforting
presence and assuring words. There is no great comfort than hearing
Him utter “Fear not, for I am with you.”
Next
time we see God pleading for Jeremiah's soul causes, so read ahead,
and we shall join together then.
Until
tomorrow...there is more...
Look
for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From
Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be
Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the
Mount” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ;
www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at
www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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