Tag: impossible-or-im-possible

Jeremiah 32:17-27 Revised Standard Version

¹⁷ ‘Ah Lord God! It is thou who hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for thee, ¹⁸ who showiest steadfast love to thousands, but dost requite the guilt of fathers to their children after them, O great and mighty God whose name is the Lord of hosts, ¹⁹ great in counsel and mighty in deed; whose eyes are open to all the ways of men, rewarding every man according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings; ²⁰ who hast shown signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, and to this day in Israel and among all mankind, and hast made thee a name, as at this day. ²¹ Thou didst bring thy people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and with great terror; ²² and thou gavest them this land, which thou didst swear to their fathers to give them, a land flowing with milk and honey; ²³ and they entered and took possession of it. But they did not obey thy voice or walk in thy law; they did nothing of all thou didst command them to do. Therefore thou hast made all this evil come upon them. ²⁴ Behold, the siege mounds have come up to the city to take it, and because of sword and famine and pestilence the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans who are fighting against it. What thou didst speak has come to pass, and behold, thou seest it. ²⁵ Yet thou, O Lord God, hast said to me, “Buy the field for money and get witnesses”— though the city is given into the hands of the Chaldeans.’”

God’s Assurance of the People’s Return

²⁶ The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah: ²⁷ “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh; is anything too hard for me?

Word of God for the Children of God

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

Jeremiah 32:14 Revised Standard Version

¹⁴ ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take these deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time.

Our Scripture for today describes a real-estate transaction.

Money is transferred from buyer to seller; witnesses and officials sign the transfer papers; there are multiple copies of documents and arrangements for preserving the documents.

This is not unlike what would still happen today in a land sale, except for a few things:

• Jeremiah, the buyer, cannot take possession of the land because it’s behind enemy lines.
• This real-estate closing is taking place in a Jerusalem prison, and Jeremiah is the prisoner.
• Jeremiah knows (because God has revealed it to him) that his nation will not win against the enemy.
• Will Jeremiah or his assigned heirs return in 70 years and prove ownership?
• Will any of these legal document’s survive Jerusalem’s coming destruction?

Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon will destroy Jerusalem and exile the Israelites to a place a thousand miles away.

Indeed, Jeremiah the prophet is in prison because he has preached against the King and his advisors and has preached only what God has revealed to him.

There are moments when a situation grows so large that words begin to fail.

You have a compass in your hand and have thought it through, tried what you can, prayed what you know, still, it stands as reinforced concrete; unyielding, unmoved, perpetually mocking all of your strongest efforts.

You may not say it or scream it out loud, but something inside starts shrinking God to the size of the problem. 

You still believe God can do many things, but you quietly struggle and wonder if perhaps this one has crossed the line into the chasm rightly called impossible. 

Then Jeremiah opens his mouth, and what comes out gives a holy eruption of perspective: “Ah Lord GOD!” That “Ah” is the sound of a soul remembering.

It is the gasp of worship returning to the heart.

It is Jeremiah stepping out of the tight cage of human calculation and lifting his eyes to the One who cannot be measured.

“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.” 

He is facing a real crisis, yet he chooses to anchor himself in the truest reality that God is Creator- that absolutely nothing is impossible for God to complete.  

But God has also revealed through Jeremiah that after 70 years the people will return to build homes and farms in the land. Truly a long-term investment!

The theme of God’s unlimited power and sovereignty is a central motif in the book of Jeremiah.

Throughout the book, Jeremiah conveys the message that God is in control of all things, and nothing is beyond his ability to accomplish.

This theme is particularly significant in the context of the historical events surrounding the book of Jeremiah, where the people of Judah were facing the impending total sacking, destruction of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon.

In the midst of this crisis, Jeremiah’s message serves as a reminder that God’s power is not limited by human circumstances, that he continuously remains in control even in the face of overwhelming adversity.

In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet is commanded by God to purchase a field in his hometown of Anatoth, even though the city was under murderous siege by the Babylonians and facing imminent destruction.

In the face of this seemingly illogical command, Jeremiah questions God, expressing his astonishment at the situation.

However, his doubt is quickly dispelled as he acknowledges the limitless power of God as was demonstrated in the creation of the heavens and the earth.

This acknowledgment leads Jeremiah to recognize that nothing is too difficult for God.

This verse encapsulates the central message of the book of Jeremiah, which is a covenant call to trust in the sovereignty and power of God, even in the midst of overwhelming circumstances.

If God can create, He can recreate.

If God can command light, He can command clarity.

If God can open wombs that nature said were closed, He can open doors that life says are shut.

If God can turn a wilderness into a meeting place, He can turn your dry season into a testimony.

The point is not that you will never face impossible things, but that impossible things are not meant to swallow you.

They are meant to push you into a deeper revelation of who God is.  

Today, don’t reduce your prayers to what feels realistic. 

Let your heart borrow Jeremiah’s “Ah” again, let worship rise where fear is resident.

Say it slowly and mean it: Lord, nothing is too difficult for You, my situation is not difficult for you.

Then place the situation back in His hands without keeping a corner of it for anxiety. Wait on Him with expectation, not because you understand His process, but because you know His nature; the God of all flesh is not limited. 

Still today, God calls us to live our lives and to devote ourselves and the gifts he has given us to long-term things—things that will last.

Isaiah 6:6-10 Revised Standard Version

⁶ Then flew one of the seraphim to me, having in his hand a burning coal which he had taken with tongs from the altar. ⁷ And he touched my mouth, and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin forgiven.” ⁸ And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” ⁹ And he said, “Go, and say to this people:

‘Hear and hear, but do not understand;
see and see, but do not perceive.’
¹⁰ Make the heart of this people fat,
    and their ears heavy,
    and shut their eyes;
lest they see with their eyes,
    and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts,
    and turn and be healed.”

And the number-one example of a definitive long-term investment that fits God’s plan is to make sure we, like Isaiah the Prophet, voluntarily give of our resources and our time and energy to help bring others into God’s kingdom.

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Praying …

46 ⁽⁰⁾ For the leader. By the descendants of Korach. On ‘alamot [high-pitched musical instruments?]. A song:

^2 (1) God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
^3 (2) Therefore we are unafraid,
even if the earth gives way,
even if the mountains tumble
into the depths of the sea,
^4 (3) even if its waters rage and foam,
and mountains shake at its turbulence. (Selah)

^5 (4) There is a river whose streams
gladden the city of God,
the holy habitation of ‘Elyon —
^6 (5) God is in the city.
It will not be moved —
when daybreak comes, God will help it.
^7 (6) Nations were in turmoil,
kingdoms were moved;
his voice thundered forth,
and the earth melted away.

^8 (7) Adonai-Tzva’ot is with us,
our fortress, the God of Ya‘akov. (Selah)
^9 (8) Come and see the works of Adonai,
the astounding deeds he has done on the earth.
^10 (9) To the ends of the earth he makes wars cease —
he breaks the bow, snaps the spear,
burns the shields in the fire.
^11 (10) “Desist, and learn that I am God,
supreme over the nations,
supreme over the earth.”

^12 (11) Adonai-Tzva’ot is with us,
our fortress, the God of Ya‘akov. (Selah)

Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.

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