for starters

OK so it took me a couple of days, but I was busy navigating the flatness that is southern MN.  Alas, here goes nothing...
I decided to start in Jeremiah, mostly because it was where my Bible opened to... This probably is a bad idea, because I am so intrigued and yet baffled by Jeremiah- there is so much allusion and prophetic language that it gets confusing when read page by page... Anyway, Jer. 33:3 says: Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.  I gave a message yesterday in which I mentioned this verse when it comes to God promising to answer prayer... after reading the surrounding chapters, I'm not entirely sure I used it properly in context... thankfully, it was a mere mention in passing... 
Regardless, can you imagine what it was like to be an OT prophet?  Somehow God spoke to these men, and what they were told was often not what they (or their countrymen) wanted to hear.  But verse 33 is different.  God tells Jeremiah that there is hope for Israel.  He will bring healing to his people and Jerusalem will once again be restored.  There will be happiness and joy- wedding parties and people singing in the temple.  All will once again be well with the people of Judah and Israel.  Even though the people think that I am far off, God says to Jeremiah, I am still here and I will keep my promise and be kind to them and cause good things to happen to My people. 
BUT some crazy stuff had to happen first- verse 34 tells how Nebuchadnezzar was advancing and was about to storm Jerusalem.  Times were going to get worse before they got better, but God assured Jeremiah that He would keep His promise.  This is the wonder of wonders when it comes to our righteous God- even though we deserve rags and we deserve nothing but our Lord's rejection, He cannot and will not break His promises.  He is a perfect God, as such He cannot lie.  He cannot.  It is impossible- if He lies, He ceases to be God.  This cannot happen.  So, we rest in the assurance that this is not our home, Heaven is.  And we bank on the fact that He hears our prayers and His Son's blood is THE atoning sacrifice for our sin.  He promises to deliver us when we call upon Him, and that He will work all things for the good of those who love Him, according to His perfect will.  And, even when He seems far off- that is, when our sinful, selfish pride blinds us from seeing the cross- rather we look at the mirror of desperation- we are reminded that He hasn't moved.  He is still right beside us, nay, living within us.  Sometimes we traverse through tough terrain, but God is faithful and His mercy endures forever.  Just has he restored joy to Jerusalem, He restores joy to my heart, undeserved as I am.  Thank you, God for your unfailing faithfulness.
Man, Jeremiah is such a great section of God's Word... 36 is Jehoiakim burning the scroll because he didn't like what it said and Jeremiah just wrote another one- God's word stands despite our trifle attempts to quell it... Then Jeremiah goes to jail and almost dies in a well... man... I need to just read this through and through... soon.
Tomorrow is 8am bball practice. eww.  then Philippians.  1 down, 65 to go.