Stay Faithful and Do Not Fear

By Dean Collins

Things were in turmoil for the remnant of God's chosen. Some had been taken to Babylon; a few remained. The new leader of Jerusalem had been killed. Things were going south quickly from a human perspective. A small group of those who remained asked Jeremiah to ask God to have mercy on them. They were not sure whether to stay or run to Egypt for help. When you don't know what to do, sometimes you simply want to run. Anywhere might be better than here.

But these followers of God did not run, and they told the prophet they would do whatever God wanted them to do: "Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God."

Ten days later, Jeremiah heard a word from the :ord. "If you will remain in this land, then I will build you up and not pull you down; I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I relent of the disaster that I did to you. Do not fear the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid. Do not fear him, declares the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and to deliver you from his hand. I will grant you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and let you remain in your own land.”

Wow. God's promise to these followers was that if they remained in the midst of the difficulty, then he would plant them, bless them, grant them mercy, and deliver them! He also reminded them that they had nothing to fear. Just stay put and stay faithful.  

The children of Israel were getting what they sowed in Jeremiah. You sow idolatry and disobedience, and you get destruction and exile. But there was a remnant who were obedient. I'm confident the remnant had no perfect people among them, and they, like their ancestors, had their own share of mistakes, but God gave grace and mercy to them. Paul's message in Galatians is inspiring because he shows us a path that connects to our behavior. If we plant ourselves in God's word and God's way and not grow weary of doing good, in due season we will reap, if we do not give up! And that is key. We will grow weary. Some days we already are weary. But if we don't give up or give in to sowing seed that reflects self-centeredness, when it is time we will reap the harvest.  

In Galatians 6, Paul had a message for the church that is relevant for us anytime we feel like we have more than we can handle. Jeremiah’s message to those who were trying to figure out whether to stay or run to Egypt was not to fear because God was with them. Maybe you are going through something right now that makes you think the answer is running from the problem or relationship instead of staying put and trusting God to provide a path forward and the resources you need to endure.

Hear the word of the Lord from Jeremiah and from Paul: stay faithful, trust the Lord, and do not fear. God can do amazing things through us when we focus on him instead of our problems.

So today, Father, we choose to not give up. Today, we will trust in you and in your promises. Today, we will do good to everyone and especially to those in the household of faith. Today, we trust you to provide for us, just as you did for the remnant in Jerusalem long ago. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Jeremiah 42:2-7, 9-12; Galatians 6:6-10 ESV

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