Hope For A New Plan
When things go sideways and fall apart, it’s hard to have hope that order will be restored soon, and all will be well. While I’m in the storm, it’s hard not to focus on the storm itself. It’s hard to see the calm that is coming because the storm has my attention. I love the contrast between a buffalo and a cow. In Colorado the climate is conducive to cows and buffalo roaming the land together. I’m told that when a storm comes over the Rocky Mountains that a Cow will run from the storm. Since they weigh hundreds of pounds and are not known for their raging speed, the storm catches up with them and they stay in the storm longer because they are running away. The Buffalo on the other hand, turn toward the storm and because they are heading into the storm, they are in it considerable less time.
Jeremiah was constantly delivering the news of captivity that is coming. He pounded this message because the Lord told him to. The Lord now reveals what things look like for Israel and Judah AFTER captivity. Check this out….
33 “But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. 34 And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins.” (Jeremiah 31:33-34 NLT)
This is a different plan in many ways. The Lord is telling of a time when His people will have direct access to Him. He is telling of His plan to bring Jesus, His One and Only Son into the world. Our faith will become way more personal and a lot less formal. Formal faith seems to be more about the organization/church than a relationship with the Savior of the world. Formal faith seems a bit stuffy and man-made to me, but this new plan feels like God is “hard-wiring” me for Him.
I’ve been studying this new plan my whole life. As I read Jeremiah and much of the Old Testament, the law and the formality in the historical record seems really heavy to me. I love the fact that I can sit here in my home and talk directly to Creator God. I don’t have to use great grammar and eloquent speech. He is my Confidant. He is my Counselor. He is my Sustainer. He is my Friend. He is my Teacher. He is my Leader. He is Redeemer. He is my Savior. He is my Hope.
No matter what storms may come over the horizon, He is with me. He will keep me close as I navigate the unknown. He walks and talks with me daily through His Word, through prayer and through others speaking into my life. I will sing in the middle of the storm because He is with me. He is my Living Hope.
Pressing On!
Dwayne