Jeremiah 31:14 “I will satisfy the priests with abundance,
    and my people will be filled with my bounty,”
declares the Lord.

Jeremiah is known as a prophet of “doom and gloom,” to the point that “jeremiad” refers to a very negative rant about something. However, he also prophesied some very encouraging things indeed. This chapter is glorious, and deeply comforting. After all, it was Jeremiah’s prophecies that enabled the exiles in Babylon to know that after 70 years they would be returned to the land of Israel. Various parts of this chapter have been set to music, and are running through my mind and heart even now. Honest prophecy may seem severe in the moment, but it will always reflect the character of God. He is indeed holy and righteous and just, and He is also kind and loving and gracious. Some people focus on the severe stuff, and they are scared witless of Him, and some people imagine Him as a soft, fluffy Santa Claus, indulgent in the extreme. Both of those are terrible misconceptions, fostered and encouraged by the devil. God is indeed 100% righteous and holy, so our sins and rebellions have consequences, but He is also love itself, as John so famously pointed out. (1 John 4:8) Prophecy that is from Him will reflect both of those poles, as opposite as they might seem. Going back to yesterday’s reading, if Jeremiah had only prophesied doom and gloom, hearing God speak would hardly have been a joy to him! When God nudges our heart to indicate He wants to say something through us, we should not fear, but rejoice to be fully available to Him for whatever He wants to say.

I have been used in prophecy, and I have heard various prophecies. I certainly like this one! Since I would fit in the category of “priests,” it certainly sounds good to me! It is interesting that where English translations say “bounty,” or “goodness,” in the last part of the verse, the Japanese says “grace.” That term in Japanese indeed means more than we usually mean by grace, having a strong feeling of blessings. However, God told Paul that His grace was sufficient for him, at a point when that wasn’t really what Paul wanted to hear. I need to remember to feast my soul of God’s abundance, and know that His grace is sufficient for me, regardless of whatever I’m going through.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for the youth missions team that came yesterday, and for the yard work they did for us. Thank You even more for the privilege of sharing Your heart with them. May they, may we, open up to You more and more, to be more and more effective as Your agents, in word and in deed, for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!