17: Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:
18: Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,
19: Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
Introduction:
Each person finds themselves in different and varying circumstances each day. From the moment that our eyes open in the morning until we return to our beds at night there seems to be something demanding our time. Often the first thought of the day is; “Where am I supposed to be first?” And from there it seems to be a foot race for the rest of the day. Breakfast is something that has been popped in the micro-wave; Lunch is a quick dash through the drive through; and dinner is something picked up from the fast food place on the way home. After all this “helter-skelter” action of the day the only thing that one feels fit for is to crash into unconsciousness and wait for tomorrow so that they can start the same routine over again. These hectic schedules are not outside of the realm of necessary and often offers little or no options as to whether they must be done or not. One can find themselves in a situation where it seems that even with all that they do, at the end of the day the list seems to be just as long as it was when the day began. And the most tragic part of all of it is the feeling of being unfulfilled with all that did get done. This feeling can be a great mystery if a person fails to figure out that what’s missing in their life is contact and communication with God. They have been too busy to stop and have any intimacy with God. There is a recent acrostic that uses the letters B. U. S. Y. The phrase that this acrostic stands for is: “Being Under Satan’s Yoke”. If Satan can get you so busy that you don’t have time to think about your relationship with God then he’s got you exactly where he wants you.
About the Scripture:
The prophet, Jeremiah spoke the words of this scripture while Jerusalem was under siege by the Chaldeans. While the Jews had sinned against God and now faced the consequences of their actions by being taken into captivity, Jeremiah demonstrated his trust in the promise of God that He would not forsake Israel ultimately, by purchasing a field in the soon to be captured Jerusalem, as a sign that they would one day be returned to Jerusalem from their captivity. Despite the dire circumstances surrounding all the Jews, Jeremiah continued to have a defined relationship with God; He met God even under the worse of circumstances. 17: Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: What a marvelous and encouraging thought that Jeremiah expresses here. It is a thought that can give us a positive mind-set as we face whatever a day may hold for us. It is a thought that one might miss if he/she doesn’t take time to invite such a might God into their day.I will offer some thoughts for those who want to take back the control of their time and their relationship with God:
Psalms 63: 1: O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
Instead of sleeping until the very last minute before it’s time to get ready for work, give yourself an extra thirty minutes. Get up thirty minutes early and a lot yourself 15 minutes to pray (Use the fifteen minutes to pray.) When your day starts out in conversation with God, you become aware of God’s presence. Knowing that the God that stretched out His arm and created heaven and earth acknowledges you individually gives a feeling of security and power. Prayer is the beginning of a personal and intimate relationship with God. Prayer gives one the opportunity to clear the air. It gives the opportunity to assess one’s weaknesses and/ or needs. Prayer is tapping into the unlimited power source.
Psalms 18:3-6
3: I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.
4: The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.
5: The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.
6: In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.
The assurance that comes from meeting God where He is is an empowering experience.
