Jeremiah 33:2-3 “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’!

God was about to give Jeremiah a Word that would indeed overload his imagination, so here he lays the groundwork. This was immediately after He had told Jeremiah to buy from one of his relatives land that was at that time overrun by the Babylonians. That was so strange that Jeremiah had questioned God about it, and He had replied with the very famous words, “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27) This is a continuation and follow-up to that. He starts by reminding Jeremiah that He is the Creator, giving His credentials, so to speak. He then warns Jeremiah that what He will tell him will be beyond his understanding. (The Japanese puts it that way, rather than “unsearchable,” which seems a bit vague to me.) In what follows, the Lord touches briefly on the current situation, in verses 4 and 5, but then He goes on to describe a future that was probably literally unimaginable to Jeremiah. The climax comes in the explicitly Messianic prophecy in verses 13 and 14, culminating in one of the great names given to the Messiah, Yahweh Tsidkenu, the Lord our Righteousness. It would be hard to get more glorious than that! That covenant name was explicitly confirmed by Paul when he wrote, “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

Hallelujah! Just writing about it makes it well up within me, and I am filled with gratitude and praise. My circumstances have never been such that I have been surrounded by houses filled with dead bodies, as Jeremiah was about to be, so I have no excuse to be down about anything. I serve the same God as Jeremiah, and Jesus is indeed my righteousness. This is a major chunk of the glory of the Incarnation that we celebrate at this time of year, and I must never forget it. I don’t enjoy crowds and busyness, but I must not let that detract from my celebration of the Messiah. The next three weeks in particular are packed with things to do and places to be, but I must not take my eyes off of the One who is the reason for it all. I will have opportunities to share the Gospel in words with people who probably have never heard it expressed clearly before, and I must keep myself fully available for that purpose. I want His joy to so overflow from me that people will be drawn to Him, for their salvation and His glory.

Father, thank You for this very timely reminder. Thank You for yesterday and all it held. Thank You for giving me wisdom and skill in putting up more handrails for Cathy, and that her healing is progressing despite her pain. I pray that our hearts may be tuned to You each moment, so that we won’t miss any of the things You have planned for us, for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!