Don’t Just Sit There!

That’s what God was telling the Israeli exiles through the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 29.  Having just been taken into captivity by the Babylonians, they were told to get a new vision for the future, get busy settling into a new life, build homes and raise kids and grand kids in this godless land.  All the while they were to be praying for their captors and the welfare of the nation where they would be living in exile for the next couple of generations.  By no means were they just to sit around waiting for the storm to pass but, rather, to become involved in the community, seeking its welfare and increasing in number.  How radical was this! 

They were defeated, humiliated and mourning the loss of their freedom, loved ones, their beloved Jerusalem and the temple, indeed, their national pride and very way of life.  Yet this was God’s command to them.  His lesson for them was simple:  Your true blessing will be in trusting Me and doing the things I tell you.  All the things in which you trusted and sought for your happiness were worthless to save you.  You forgot that I am the one who gave them to you, and you turned your back on Me and worshipped them instead of Me.

What might God want us to learn from this story?   On a personal level I think of how radically my life was changed this past year, being where I didn’t want to be and unable to do many, even simple, things that I used to do without thinking.  How I yearned to be out of that hospital bed and quickly back on my feet.  But God said, “My grace is sufficient for you.”  What a great encouragement to realize that God is still in charge and to remember that He truly does work all things together for my good, even when it is very slow. 

I have truly been blessed in many ways during this process.   One way has been the enrichment of my life through the many people who have attended and helped me that I never would have met or known otherwise.  God has given me the privilege to share a personal testimony of His grace and goodness with many of them.

A question I learned to ask after hearing a little about their personal lives was, “Do you know that Jesus loves you?”   If they answered, “Yes,” then I would ask, “How do you know?” telling them that I knew everyone had a unique story and I would like to hear theirs.  If it was “No”, I would then have the opportunity to ask if they would like to hear mine.  Interestingly, no one has ever said, “No,” although their stories have sometimes been sketchy or weak, giving me an opening to encourage them to trust Jesus completely.

On a broader level, I think about our own nation as we approach what could be the most historic election in my lifetime.  The course of America will likely be set in one of two very different paths for years and, perhaps, generations to come.  When the outcome is known in the next few days, there will be two groups of people -- something like those in Babylon.  One group, like the Israelis, will be mourning their losses.  Exhausted and beaten, they will feel a bit like exiles living among the other group that will be jubilant and, like captors, will gloat over their defeated opponents.

Incidentally, when you think about it, it is probably true that elections do not in themselves change the course of a nation.   It is the collective heart of the people who vote that has already changed it.  Whether the heart of the nation is rebellious toward God or humbled before Him will determine the kind of leaders it chooses to govern it.  Elections, if they are fair, simply authenticate the state of the nation’s heart and publish it for the world to see.

For those of us who will fall into the defeated camp after election day, what will the response be?   Following the guidelines of Scripture, what should it be?  Instead of sulking over the losses, it would seem pleasing to God to pray for those who won and to do what is right, seeking their welfare and that of our community and nation.   With that approach we would all grow stronger, but most important, those who follow Jesus would earn opportunities to win others to Him.  This, after all, is the only way to truly change a nation’s heart.

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.  – Proverbs 14:34