Jeremiah 24:5 “Thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel; Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge them that are carried away captive of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.”
I have to admit, I like it when things go my way. Like most people I am super happy when life goes according to my plans. Good thing God is on board with that, right? Well, it was good thought! In my 50+ years of living I have boiled the meaning of life down to two axioms: God is always good, and, God is always right. Like you, and everyone else, I’ve had to learn the hard way that God isn’t an order taker at the other end of the prayer drive through speaker like Chick-Fil-A. He doesn’t come on the line and say, “What can I get for you today? I’d be happy to serve you. No, He is God, and we are not. He knows best and we do not.
In our passage today God gives to Jeremiah some hard truth. God was going to put some of His people through what they thought was a really bad thing, and it was. They would be defeated in battle, taken captive, deported to a foreign land as servants. In their mind this was bad, and it was, but God had bigger plans and what seemed bad was in reality was going to be good. Friend, God has the whole story arc of your life in view. Trust Him. He is always good, and He is always right. God very well may take you through some very “bad” times but trust Him, He has a very good reason for it. So, God can use what seems like bad things for His glory and our good. God can use what seems to be bad for His glory and our good.
Robert Pophal | Pastor
Rose Park Baptist Church | Holland, MI
