Waiting on the Lord

25 The Lord is good to those who depend on him, to those who search for him.
26 So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.
27 And it is good for people to submit at an early age to the yoke of his discipline:
28 Let them sit alone in silence beneath the Lord’s demands.
38 Does not the Most High send both calamity and good?
39 Then why should we, mere humans, complain when we are punished for our sins?
40 Instead, let us test and examine our ways. Let us turn back to the Lord.

- Lamentations 3

Would your rather stay when you feel like running away? Would you rather rest, when you feel like doing something? Busyness is every human's way of escape to get away from pain. When we don't want to deal with issues in our lives, we resolve to shove our sadness and disappointments down by burying our feelings. But no matter how we try to solve our problems by shrugging them off, we can only deal with problems when we face it and bring it to GOD. Depending on GOD is a hard thing when we can do something to solve our troubles. If is easier to find ways and solutions to rid ourselves of trouble than to search for Him in quietness and stillness because it is very hard to be still.

But it is good, to depend on GOD, it is good to wait on the LORD for Him to act and move on our behalf. It is hard to depend on GOD to defend us when we could actually defend ourselves. It is crazy to some, but it is even better to submit to GOD's discipline while we are young, because while we are young, we are more teachable in Spirit and humble in heart. If you are going through difficulty today, it is good to to trust GOD and be silent under His demands. We need to trust GOD even in calamity because the LORD knows every little detail of our lives, from beginning to the end. It will not do us any good when we complain and blame others for our mistakes. But it is rather good to come before GOD in vulnerability and wait for Him to deliver us. Wait on the LORD, HE will never fail.

Hard Hearted

19 “Listen, you remnant of Judah. The Lord has told you: ‘Do not go to Egypt!’ Don’t forget this warning I have given you today. 20 For you were not being honest when you sent me to pray to the Lord your God for you. You said, ‘Just tell us what the Lord our God says, and we will do it!’

- Jeremiah 42

1 When Jeremiah had finished giving this message from the Lord their God to all the people, 2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah and Johanan son of Kareah and all the other proud men said to Jeremiah, “You lie! The Lord our God hasn’t forbidden us to go to Egypt! 3 Baruch son of Neriah has convinced you to say this, because he wants us to stay here and be killed by the Babylonians or be carried off into exile.”

4 So Johanan and the other guerrilla leaders and all the people refused to obey the Lord’s command to stay in Judah.

- Jeremiah 43

Is there something that GOD is telling you not to do, so clearly you know deep down in your heart that you are not supposed to do it. But then your will is really strong within you to do what is opposite from that which GOD wants. You will know when it is not right because there will be no peace within you. But it is so strange how strong human will is. What made the Israelites disobey GOD? It is only logical to think that we need to run away from our enemies. Yet GOD is telling them to submit to them. This is very difficult to do because they fear that their enemies will surely end their lives. But GOD told them a very wild thing that surely most of them think it would be suicide to submit to their enemy the Babylonians, but this is exactly what GOD is telling them to do. 

There's only two responses to this: Trust GOD or Trust their instinct. Sadly they trusted their own reasoning and instincts that they went their way to Egypt, where GOD told them not to go. What made them hard headed and stubborn? GOD had told them no, yet they go their way anyway. What had caused them to be calloused in their hearts? Before the threats, they have already been disobeying GOD by burning incense to their idols. This was the beginning of their rebellion. But in GOD's mercy, He still warned them for the last time to not do what they are thinking in their hearts to do. Maybe GOD was hoping that they would somehow change their minds. A lot of them may have been afraid of GOD's warning but their hearts are already bound to the gods of Egypt that they chose to go the place where all the idolatry had begun. Hard heartedness does not happen overnight. Hearts are hardened by the little things we do everyday that hurt GOD. Check your heart. Do not be like the remnants of Judah. Which god do you spend most of your time with? It doesn't have to be a literal idol, it can be a hobby, work, a dream or a person. For what we devote most of our time to everyday is what our heart secretly worships.