Jeremiah 33:1-3 While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the word of the Lord came to him a second time: “This is what the Lord says, he who made the earth, the Lord who formed it and established it–the Lord is his name:  ‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'”

It really strikes me that this Word from the Lord came to Jeremiah while he was a prisoner. The whole rest of the chapter goes on to specify things that were indeed beyond human capacity to understand under the immediate circumstances. The lesson is, God is not limited by our circumstances! I am presuming that when the Lord told Jeremiah what we have here, he indeed called out to God to be shown whatever God wanted him to know. Any time God makes us a direct, immediate offer, we need to take Him up on it! Judah was in imminent danger of being totally conquered by the Babylonians, and that is indeed what happened, including the destruction of Jerusalem. That’s something to remember in the middle of the current political turmoil in the US. Judah was conquered by an external enemy because of her internal sins, and America is in danger of being taken over by internal enemies for the same reason. Whatever the outcome of the election, and all the political turmoil before and after, God is still God, and He’s not even inconvenienced. Those who know Him and are committed to obedience to Him need to remember that and pray for His grace and mercy, not in abject terror but in both humility and assurance that He is good. Governments do matter, and we do need to pray and work for the righteousness that exalts a nation, (Proverbs 14:34) but we are not to place our hope in government as such. That would be making the same mistake as those who are trying to get the government to take over every aspect of society, so long as they have authority in that government. No, our hope is in the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth, and we must never forget it.

This of course applies to me. All sorts of things seem to threaten, and the devil wants to steal my peace and joy. I’m to resist him, not just in specific actions but also in the attitudes of my heart and mind. As many people have noted, the biggest battlefield is in our minds. I am to seek God for any actions He wants me to take, and I am to be available as His mouthpiece to say whatever He wants me to say, and in that I am to rest, relax, and rejoice in Him, whatever is going on politically, financially, health-wise, or anything else. I am reminded of the message my father was able to send my mother via the Red Cross after Pearl Harbor and before he was sent to the US on a prisoner exchange ship: “Profitably interned.” Like Jeremiah he was a prisoner, but also like Jeremiah he knew the Lord who was above everything, and he was ready to receive whatever God wanted to give him in his circumstances. I need to have no less faith, regardless of what goes on around me.

Father, thank You for this Word. I do care very deeply about the election, and all the rest of it, but help me care about You even more. May I be Your agent of grace, mercy, and righteousness to all around me, for their salvation and Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!