We returned to some sunshine today, which was nice. I had a breakfast meeting with members of my LEAP Steering Committee. My mother and I had haircut appointments, how about that! Since her’s took longer it gave me time to get in a workout at the fitness center. Tomorrow is my aunt, my mom’s sister, 100th birthday celebration.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…  “So pray that the Lord your God will tell us where we should go and what we should do.” Then Jeremiah the prophet answered… I will pray to the Lord your God as you have asked. I will tell you everything he says and not hide anything from you.” Then the people said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and loyal witness against us if we don’t do everything the Lord your God sends you to tell us.  It does not matter if we like the message or not…” Jeremiah 42:3-6 NCV

I am reminded of the story of the  man who was hiking and fell off a cliff. He grabbed hold of a branch and frantically called, “Lord help me, I will do whatever you want me to do.” He heard a voice  say, “This is the Lord, let go of the  branch.” The man cried out, “Is anyone else up there!”

I think of that story as I read the full account of the last days for God’s people in Judah. Nebuchadnezzar has lead his armies to take the people captive. There is a remnant of poor people left in the land under the rule of Gedaliah , a Governor appointed by Nebuchadnezzar. Gedaliah is killed in an uprising and the people are afraid of retribution from the Babylonians and are considering fleeing to Egypt as a place of refuge.

The people were recognizing that what had happened was due to their sin and rebellion, so the leaders came to Jeremiah to seek the Lord’s direction. This seems to be a step in the right direction and Jeremiah prays for ten days and then gives them the Lord’s message.

“This is what the God of Israel says:  ‘If you will stay in Judah, I will build you up and not tear you down. I will plant you and not pull you up, because I am sad about the disaster I brought on you.  Now you fear the king of Babylon, but don’t be afraid of him. Don’t be afraid of him,’ says the Lord, ‘because I am with you. I will save you and rescue you from his power.  I will be kind to you, and he will also treat you with mercy and let you stay in your land.’ “ (Jeremiah 42:9-12 NCV)

The Lord through Jeremiah warns the people of dire consequences if they insist on going to Egypt. He says basically what you feared would happen, will happen to you in Egypt.

The message is clear, the Lord honored their request through His servant Jeremiah and the people respond…..“You are lying! The Lord our God did not send you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to live there.’ … you [want] to hand us over to the Babylonians so they can kill us or capture us and take us to Babylon.”

Oops! What happened to we will obey regardless?! How do we respond when the Lord’s direction for our life is different than our preconceived plans? Do we ask the Lord for direction or just confirmation and endorsement of what we want to do? Do we treat the Lord’s direction and provision with contempt or with integrity?

I am reminded of a young lady my kids were familiar with during their college years. This fellow student fasted and prayed and believe God for a miracle provision of finances to attend college. The Lord came through in a truly miraculous way. However, the prayer and promise of “Lord if you provide the finances for me to stay in school, I will complete my education” became viewed as an option and she ended up leaving school any way.

My heart sinks when I hear of accounts like those. But before I become to “self righteous” I need to reflect on times, even if they are less dramatic, when the Lord says, “do” and I don’t or He says, “don’t” and I do. I believe the reason we connect with the history of God’s people is because we can see ourselves in them.

In the end we see God’s people fleeing to Egypt and what they feared happened. Some were killed and others were captured and taken to Babylon. The other part of it was the nation of Egypt succumbed to the power of Babylonian Empire in the process. I know, the conquest of Egypt by the Babylonians was destined to take place regardless, but we need to understand that our disobedience often impacts others. We also see that what we think we will avoid or accomplish by taking control over our own life doesn’t happen.

We can have confidence that the Lord hears the cry of sincere hearts. He will guide and He will provide as we place our trust in Him. The question is, “will we be faithful to follow even when His will conflicts with ours?”

Our rain continued today in greater amounts than yesterday. It looks like it will be clearing over the next two days. I had my morning LEAP conference call and then a joint lunch meeting with the Loveland and  Berthoud Chambers of Commerce. Some interesting information on proposed changes to employment classifications. Later this afternoon I had my fitness workout. I took my mom with me so she could see some of my regimen.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… Jeremiah said to Zedekiah, “This is what the Lord God All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says: ‘If you surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, your life will be saved. Jerusalem will not be burned down, and you and your family will live. But if you refuse to surrender to the officers of the king of Babylon, Jerusalem will be handed over to the Babylonian army, and they will burn it down. And you yourself will not escape from them.’” Jeremiah 38:17,18 NCV

I sure you have heard the saying, “we can do this the easy way or the hard way!” I’m not sure of the origin of that statement, but it certainly applied to what the Lord was trying to communicate to Judah and its rulers.

Thousands of Jews had already been taken captive by Babylon. Judah was under the control of Babylon, but soon rebelled against them. All of this was from the hand of God who was using an ungodly nation to punish His people for their ungodly acts. Yet in the midst of coming Judgment the Lord was using His prophet Jeremiah to let them know that the Lord would one day restore people to the land and that prosperity would one day be restored.

The Lord said, “I will bring health and healing to the people there. I will heal them and let them enjoy great peace and safety. I will bring Judah and Israel back from captivity and make them strong countries as in the past.”  (Jeremiah 33:6,7 NCV)

All of this would happen after their time of captivity. The captivity was decided in God’s mind and would happen. So Jeremiah’s message to the King and people was to surrender to the Babylonians. That message was not well received! Jeremiah’s life was threatened, he was placed in prison, put in an empty well, and faced continual persecution for his words. He was viewed as a traitor, his words were viewed as a discouragement to the people and the army. King Zedekiah looked to Egypt for help; but that didn’t work.

King Zedekiah, whether in pride or fear of the people or fear of the Babylonians hung onto his position to defend a city doomed for destruction. In the end instead of Zedekiah and his family being saved, his sons were killed before him and then his eyes were gouged out. The last visual memory for him would be the consequences of failing to heed the instructions of the Lord.

We see alongside the words of coming judgment the promise of restoration, we read,

“The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will do the good thing I promised to the people of Israel and Judah. In those days and at that time, I will make a good branch sprout from David’s family. He will do what is fair and right in the land. At that time Judah will be saved, and the people of Jerusalem will live in safety. The branch will be named: The Lord Does What Is Right.” (Jeremiah 33:14-16 NCV)

We need to remember, “the Lord does what is right.” We don’t always understand what the Lord is doing, what He allows and why things are the way they are. There are times the Lord tries to get our attention and we ignore His word. If it doesn’t make sense to us, if it is the opposite of what we believe we should do, it is easy to dismiss it.  Solomon observed, “There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.” (Prov.. 14:12 NIV)

We see that Pharaoh hardened his heart to the point that the land of Egypt laid in ruin and his was oblivious to what was happening. His pride and hard heart blinded him to the reality that was before him and he refused to accept the inevitable.

Solomon cautioned, “Do not be like the horse or the mule, which have no understanding but must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you.”  (Prov. 32:9 NIV) David in his prayer of repentance prayed, “…grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:12 NIV)

The Lord’s ways will prevail. “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.“ (Proverbs 19:21 NIV) We need to have the confidence that His plans for us are “good.” That He knows the beginning from the end and that if we yield our lives to Him, we will find our way through the forest of difficulties and confusion and come out offering our praise to God. Jeremiah told God’s people of a coming day where…

“There will be sounds of joy and gladness and the happy sounds of brides and bridegrooms. There will be the sounds of people bringing to the Temple of the Lord their offerings of thanks to the Lord. They will say, ‘Praise the Lord All-Powerful, because the Lord is good! His love continues forever!’ (Jeremiah 33:11 NCV)

We need to remember, the Lord’s ways are the “easy way” and our ways are the “hard way.” Whose way will you choose?

We finally have a touch of fall, with some rain and cooler weather. I attended the monthly “Professionals for Seniors” breakfast. It is always amazing to see the number of individuals and organizations mobilized to provide a variety of services to seniors. Other than that is was a low key day with my Chiropractor appointment later in the day.

BIBLE VERSE TODAY… This is what the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, says to all those people I sent away from Jerusalem as captives to Babylon: “Build houses and settle in the land…Have many children in Babylon; don’t become fewer in number…Also do good things for the city where I sent you as captives. Pray to the Lord for the city where you are living, because if good things happen in the city, good things will happen to you also….This is what the Lord says: “Babylon will be powerful for seventy years. After that time I will come to you, and I will keep my promise to bring you back to Jerusalem….“And I will bring you back from your captivity. I forced you to leave this place, but I will gather you from all the nations, from the places I have sent you as captives,” says the Lord. “And I will bring you back to this place.” Jeremiah 29:4-14 NCV

I remember when I was in my first pastorate. The church was growing and that attracted people who often had their own agenda. I recall the remark of one lady, who in exasperated tones commented, “You really do know what you are doing, don’t you?!” How do you respond to a comment like that? I think I said, “Yes, I do!” and smiled.

God’s people weren’t sure if God really knew about them and what He was doing. So, they wanted to help Him out and insert their own agenda into their future. The Lord sent His prophets in an attempt to get the attention of His people and communicate His plans.

Jeremiah had prophesied for twenty-three years without much response. He faced deaf ears on one hand and the threat of death on the other. Whatever he said was the opposite of what the King in his wisdom thought should be done. Many Jews had been taken captive to Babylon and it was only a matter of time before the Jerusalem and land would be completely taken over by Nebuchadnezzar and his armies. The Lord told the people “this is my plan, submit to my discipline through Babylon.” But they couldn’t believe that was really God’s plan.

God knew that hearts of His people and what it would take to see a change. The land of God’s people would rest for 70 years. God used an ungodly nation to punish an ungodly people. And then the Lord would bring an end to the power of Babylon and would use the succeeding nations to restore God’s people to their land. All of this was foretold by the prophets.

In the mean time, God’s instruction was for them to relax, adjust, multiply and work for the good of the land in which they lived. But they were to do so, knowing that their time, in a foreign land, would one day come to an end. It is in this context that the Lord speaks the well known words, “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.”  (Jeremiah 29:11 NCV)

In our lives we need to have confidence in the Lord, that He knows what He is doing. The circumstances around may not look like it. We are often tempted like Gideon to ask, “If you are with us, why is all this happening to us?” (Judges 6:13 NIV) In our lives we walk by faith and trust in the Lord in the present and when we get to a point of deliverance from our troubles, we are able to look back and see the evidence of God’s hand working in the circumstances of our lives. We find the view from the mountain top is greatly difference from the view in the valley.

It is difficult to “relax” and to make the most of our painful circumstances; but that is often what the Lord call us to do. It is during the captivity of God’s people that we see the accounts of Daniel and the “three Hebrew children.” It is during this time we see the account of Queen Esther; we see the Lord reveal Himself to Nebuchadnezzar and other Kings as the powerful Lord of God of all the earth. It is often in those “valleys” and our painful experiences that we see God’s miraculous work. Sometimes that happens even in and through those who do not follow Him.

Finally using the parallel of the Promised Land to Heaven (our eternal home), we are to remember this world, this life is not our permanent place of residence. For us it is a “foreign land.”  Yet, we are to maintain our trust in the Lord; we are to pray for and seek the well being of the country in which we live, knowing that one day the Lord will come to take us to our eternal home.

In our personal lives, in the affairs of this world and God’s people we need to remember the Lord still, knows what He is doing. Even when we don’t have the details or understand how that can be the case, we can look at His history and know that He never changes. I believe our God is still sovereign over the affairs of people and nations.

After my morning prayer gathering, I attended a new member orientation for the Fort Collins Chamber of Commerce. It was well attended and was interesting to see their many activities and services they provide members. This afternoon, my mom helped me with some work outside. I did some more work on my landscaping project and got our patio furniture ready for winter.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Let there be a curse on the day I was born; let there be no blessing on the day when my mother gave birth to me. Let there be a curse on the man who brought my father the news: “You have a son!” ...Why did I have to come out of my mother’s body? All I have known is trouble and sorrow, and my life will end in shame. ”   Jeremiah 20:14-15,18 NCV

I recall a pastor friend of mine knew that his church need to make some changes was going to be facing some challenges. He shared his heart with his deacon team and asked if they were with him and prepared for what was ahead. I remember when he told me about this event; he said, “they said they were prepared, but they really weren’t prepared for the challenges we are facing.”

The Lord call Jeremiah and said he was ordained as a prophet from his mother’s womb. But the Lord cautioned Jeremiah, “Don’t be afraid of the people, or I will give you good reason to be afraid of them….They will fight against you, but they will not defeat you, because I am with you to protect you!” says the Lord. (Jeremiah 1:17-19 NCV)

Even though the Lord warned Jeremiah about what he would face, he was not prepared for what he would face. We see him complain, “…I tell the people about the message I received from the Lord, but this only brings me insults. The people make fun of me all day long.” (Jeremiah 20:8 NCV) People plotted against Jeremiah, put him in stocks, ridiculed him in all sorts of ways and tried to silence his voice.

He even wanted to give up, “Sometimes I say to myself, “I will forget about the Lord. I will not speak anymore in his name.” But then his message becomes like a burning fire inside me, deep within my bones. I get tired of trying to hold it inside of me, and finally, I cannot hold it in.” (Jeremiah 20:9 NCV) When he spoke he was rejected and persecuted, when he wanted to be silent he couldn’t’ no wonder he “cursed the day he was born.”

We see Job doing the same thing, “Job cried out and cursed the day he had been born, saying: “Let the day I was born be destroyed, and the night it was said, ‘A boy is born!’ Let that day turn to darkness. Don’t let God care about it. Don’t let light shine on it.” (Job 3:1,2 NCV)

Some of the most godly men, ones whom the Lord used the most, experienced hardship and difficulty and times of testing and the temptation to “give up.” They had to come to grips with the question, “is it worth it?”

Saul of Tarsus experienced a divine encounter with Jesus and was called to proclaim the good news to Jews and Gentiles. The Lord warned, “…I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” (Acts 9:16 NCV)

As Saul became Paul the Apostle we see the many hardships and sufferings that came his way as a result of his obedience to “the heavenly vision.”

Paul would later write to Timothy and give him this warning, “…everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted…” (2 Timothy 3:12 NIV) Jesus himself warned his disciples, “If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.” (John 15:8 NLT)

It is difficult to be adequately prepared for what we have never experienced. I have learned that in my life as a pastor and as a politician. You may know, you may be warned, but when the trouble or slander or difficulties come you are never fully prepared. Some basics to keep in mind, to help you keep your mind…

1 – Hardships are hard. Whether it comes unexpectedly like Job, or whether you are forewarned like Jeremiah, Paul and even Mary, Jesus’ mother. (Remember the words of the angel to Mary? “…And a sword will pierce your own soul too.” Luke 2:35)

2 – Discouragement and wanting to “give up” is normal. Jeremiah 20 lists the prophet’s sixth complaint to the Lord. We see Elijah wanted to give up, Jonah was frustrated by the Lord’s actions and wanted to die. Paul wrote, “…about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.” (2 Corinthians 1:8 NIV) At times the way we feel when bad news comes or the crisis continues and we are having a difficult time, it can make us believe we are “failing in our faith” or “less than what we should be.”

3 – Discover the Lord’s word and work in your low places. In this midst of his struggles and confusion we see Jeremiah declaring, “But the Lord is with me like a strong warrior, so those who are chasing me will trip and fall; they will not defeat me.…Lord All-Powerful, you test good people; you look deeply into the heart and mind of a person.” (Jeremiah 20:11,12 NCV) Jeremiah also said, “The LORD is my portion,” says my soul, “therefore I will hope in him.” (Lamentations 3:24 ESV)

Job in the midst of his suffering declared, “For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth.“ (Job 19:25 ESV)

When Paul despaired of life he said, “But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.” (2 Corinthians 1:9 NCV)

The Lord works through His Spirit in our lives and through others. Paul said, “…[at] Macedonia, we had no rest, but we were harassed at every turn—conflicts on the outside, fears within. But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus…” (2 Corinthians 7:5,6 NIV)

We may or may not be forewarned about the troubles and challenges of life, but we can be assured, when they come they will be more difficult than we can handle. But as we look to the Lord and His strength, He gives us the encouragement to keep moving forward with our eyes on Him.

My mother is spending the week with us. After taking care of some “office work” this morning, I went to Denver for a meeting. I’m glad the weather was good and traffic manageable.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “A curse is placed on those who trust other people, who depend on humans for strength, who have stopped trusting the Lord.…the person who trusts in the Lord will be blessed. The Lord will show him that he can be trusted.” Jeremiah 17:6,7 NCV

Where we place our trust reveals much about our life. Solomon said, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and don’t lean on your own understanding…” (Proverbs 3:5) David declared, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.” (Psalm 20:7 NIV)

The Bible is not against physicians and those who can be of help in our lives in a myriad of ways. God works through human instruments to accomplish His work. What happens is when human help and intellect is placed above God. It is a matter of where we find confidence and security for our life. There are times when doctors are perplexed and when things happen that defy an explanation. The Bible says of the women with the “issue of blood” that she, “…suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse.” (Mark 5:26 ESV) That sounds like many in our world today.

We read of of King Asa, that although he had known the miracles of deliverance the Lord could bring, he became ill and, “Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians.“ (2 Chronicles 16:12 NIV)  We see that those who place their trust in the humans alone forfeit knowing what the Lord alone can do. The Lord spoke through Jeremiah and said,  “They don’t know about the good things God can give.” (Jeremiah 17:6 NCV)

Jeremiah says the Lord stands ready to prove Himself faithful to those who trust in Him, “The Lord will show him that he can be trusted.” (Jeremiah 17:7) I think of the words of the old hymn that say, “O, what peace we often forfeit, O, what needless pain we bear, all because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.”

We see that the Lord promises to provide the strength that is needed for the difficulty that we face, “He [the one who trusts the Lord] will be strong, like a tree planted near water that sends its roots by a stream.” (Jeremiah 17:8 NCV)

I was visiting with family members this weekend who had prayed for me during my health crisis and commented that my survival and recovery was an, “answer to prayer.” I have come to understand that my condition was at many times confounding to doctors and they were uncertain as to what my outcome would be. I believe they were able to recognize God’s hand on my life during my months of hospitalization.

As I have shard my story on occasion, I state that it is important to “be careful where you place your trust.” When we place our trust in the Lord, we have a sure foundation, for today, tomorrow and eternity.

Today was a good “family” day. We traveled to Lakewood to join the morning service for the Lakewood Hub of Mile High Vineyard. This is the six week old church, where our son Christian is the site pastor. Christians shared the message and it was good to see a good group that has formed for this new work.

We then went to Golden for a Summers family reunion. It was good to not only see many of my cousins and aunts and uncles but some their children and grandchildren as well. It was also good to see some other distant relatives from around the state.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “This is what the Lord says: “Stand where the roads cross and look. Ask where the old way is, where the good way is, and walk on it. If you do, you will find rest for yourselves.” Jeremiah 6:16 NCV

Yogi Berra, the famed baseball player and coach was know for is “one liners.” One his most known is “when you come to a fork in the road take it.” Jeremiah begins his prophetic ministry during the time of King Josiah of Judah. Josiah was actually a godly king  who lead many reforms for the nation. This was an opportunity for the people along with those reforms to heed the words of Jeremiah and make some significant corrections.

As they faced the future they stood at the crossroads or a “fork in the road.” When you stand at a place where roads intersect or separate, it is a point of decision. If you know for sure where you are headed, it is not a difficult decision, but if it is new territory or if you are feeling “adventurous” that decision gives reason for pause and consideration.

At times when we travel we may take a new road or direction just to see where it leads. Sometimes the well known becomes taken for granted and is view as “boring.” That is where God’s people had been for years. They found themselves traveling down the “wrong road.” At first is seemed to be new and exciting and it was a path that seemed to have many travelers. It was the road away from the Lord and toward idols and sensuality and dishonesty and all kinds of behavior that Lord had spoken against.

Much of Jeremiah’s message is the Lord pointing out the behavior of His people and warning them about what their future would hold. With warnings of judgement is also a call to repentance to take the “right road.”

The prophet Joel would speak of the “valley of decision.” The Lord through Jeremiah calls His people to stand at the crossroads and consider…consider the paths and the choices. He calls them to look for the proven and tested road. He is calling them to a road of blessings and comfort. When we are in “familiar territory” it does creates greater peace and confidence in our lives.

In Jeremiah’s day the roads were not established, by governmental infrastructure projects, as much as the constant path of travelers over the same territory time after time. The roads “well traveled” were well marked and had a smoother path.  New roads in comparison were barren,dangerous and unreliable. So, the Lord tells His people, “if you want to find your way, look for the “ancient way” the “good way” then walk in it and find rest.”

Isaiah the prophet spoke God’s message and said, “Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” (Isaiah 30:21 NIV)

The challenge for  God’s people in Jeremiah’s day and in our own day is the same. It is not so much, knowing “the way” it is our willingness to choose the “way”….God’s way. This is what the Lord said about His people standing at the crossroads, “But they have said, ‘We will not walk on the good way.’ (Jeremiah 6:16 NCV) It is like they don’t stop and consider, they just “follow their instincts.” But our instincts always lead us in the wrong direction.

Once again were read the words of Isaiah, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Isa. 53:6 NIV)

To travel the “right path” and choose the right fork in the road, we need a guide. We have that in Jesus Christ and the life He brings. He is able to help us find our way and get us headed in the “right direction.” Like the disciple Thomas we need to admit, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” (John 14:5 NIV) Then we need to hear Jesus say, “I am the way, the truth and the life…” (John 14:6 NIV)

We just need to listen, respond and follow; and as we do, we find a path that leads to God’s promise of a destiny in His presence; a path of peace, rest and blessing.

What a great fall day, temperatures in the 70’s and no freezing temperatures yet this fall. We have actually had a decent crop of green peppers from my garden. That has been my lone success this season. I enjoyed working most of the day outside and getting more accomplished on my landscaping project around the house. I was able to chop out some big roots that had grown near the house and get a sprinkler head changed. I’m learning how to get quite a bit done from a wheelchair.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “The Lord spoke his word to me, saying: “Before I made you in your mother’s womb, I chose you. Before you were born, I set you apart for a special work. I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:4,5 NCV

The call of God’s spokesmen, the prophets were all unique. Amos was a sheepherder and farmer. Elisha was Elijah’s “assistant,” Samuel was dedicated for the Lord’s service before he was born and then called to be a prophet as a child. Some prophets we know more about than others. Jeremiah is unique because he is the only one that is identified as being “chosen” before he was born.

God’s “call” is unique for every person. Whether it is a call early in life or one that takes place through life, we find the Lord is the one who calls, equips and uses people for His purpose. While there is a “divine call” to “vocational” ministry it is important for every Christ-follower to view their life being lived according to God’s purpose and “call.” That call may be through gifts and skills that enable someone to be a teacher, engineer or medical professional or some other vocation.

I know that Debbie believes her work as a hospice nurse is a “calling” more than just a career decision. Before “full time ministry” I view my work as a high school teacher and coach as a way to fulfill God’s call on my life. The bottom line…while there are unique and special “callings” all can have a sense of being “called by God” to fulfill his purposes in the world.

God’s call stretches us beyond our abilities. Jeremiah said, “But Lord God, I don’t know how to speak. I am only a boy.” (Jeremiah 1:6 NCV) I don’t know how old Jeremiah was when the Lord called him; he response my have been more of his own view of his abilities opposed to his actual age. Many of those God called to special purposes, resisted and felt unqualified. It was true of Moses, Gideon, Saul and we see it in Jeremiah. Usually God calls us to a task that is beyond our abilities. Then we know we have to depend on the Lord and what we do, we do not because of who we are but because of the Lord’s work through our life.

God empowers those He calls. He told Jeremiah “…You must go everywhere I send you, and you must say everything I tell you to say. Don’t be afraid of anyone, because I am with you to protect you,” says the Lord…. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth. He said to me, “See, I am putting my words in your mouth.” (Jeremiah 1:7-9 NCV) To be used of the Lord Jeremiah realized he had to go where God told him to go and do what God told him to do. His life would not be his own.

The touched Jeremiah’s mouth to “put His word in Him.” This reminds me of the vision of Isaiah in the Temple and the angel who took the coal from the altar and touched his mouth. It reminds me of how Samuel anointed Saul as King and from that moment on Saul was changed.

God gives Jeremiah a “lesson” in being a prophet. “The Lord spoke his word to me again: “What do you see?” I answered, “I see a pot of boiling water, tipping over from the north.” The Lord said to me, “Disaster will come from the north and strike all the people who live in this country…” (Jeremiah 1:13,14 NCV) Some times prophets would speak the words the Lord gave them, others times they would see an image or picture and speak the message to the people. The Lord allows Jeremiah to see a “picture or vision” and then gives him the meaning and message.

I believe in this way the Lord was building Jeremiah’s confidence in how to be used by the Lord. When Samuel was a boy and Lord spoke to him in the night, Eli had to help him learn when the Lord was speaking and how to respond. I believe the key for us is, our faith and ability to be used by the Lord is something that does develop over time. We make ourselves available to the Lord; was answer a call, take a step of faith and we grow in that call and the work the Lord has for us.

Jeremiah’s call from the Lord was unique and yours is as well. What applies to all of us is God’s work is done through, obedience, faith and the power He provides.

This afternoon, after some office work, I had a session with my fitness trainer. I believe after last week he is being more cautious in my workout sessions to make sure I don’t overdo. I then participated in the Colorado State University homecoming parade with the Larimer County Republicans. It had been a long time since I’ve done something like that. The weather was great and the parade seemed to go well. Now if CSU can beat  Air  Force it will be a good weekend.

BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; I talked of things too wonderful for me to know.…My ears had heard of you before, but now my eyes have seen you….I will change my heart and life.” Job 42:3,5,6 NCV

In the Book of Job we read a lot about what Job had to say about his life and God. We read what his friends had to say about Job and God. In the final chapters we see what God had to say about Himself, Job and his friends. God responds to Job first and then his friends. He begins by asking Job some penetrating questions.

God asks Job, “Would you say that I am unfair? Would you blame me to make yourself look right?” (Job 40:8 NCV) That question by itself is enough to get ones attention. How often people blame God for being “unfair.” If not based on what happens in their own life, then it is what they observe in the world. Pointing a “finger at God” to avoid ones own accountability for life, actions and attitudes doesn’t “cut it” with God.

God goes on in his discourse with Job to address his splendor and majesty and rule over all that is in the world.  At the end Job responds by saying, “I know that you can do all things and that no plan of yours can be ruined. You asked, ‘Who is this that made my purpose unclear by saying things that are not true?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand; I talked of things too wonderful for me to know.” (Job 42:1,2 NCV)

God’s purpose for ones life and for our world will come to pass. What happens is God’s purpose is confused and distorted by the thoughts and ideas of people. This should challenge us all when we “speak for and of God.” We must be sure that we are not venturing into “things too wonderful for us to know.” We understand so little, our insight is so limited. As Paul said, “we look through a glass darkly…” (1 Cor. 13:12 KJV)

Job’s sufferings and His encounter with God, changed his life and his view of God. He said, “My ears had heard of you before, but now my eyes have seen you.” (Job 42:5 NCV) How often in the natural have we “heard or known about someone” and then we meet that person and discover what they are really like. That’s what is seems Job is communicating. He knew about God, He had some ideas about God, but know he had met God and received a revelation of the Lord he had never had before.

I believe any time suffering, tests or challenges come to our lives it is an opportunity to learn something about the Lord that we never knew. Or, we experience in practice what we only knew before in theory. That is something that I can related to from my experiences of the last two years.

Job’s response to his greater understanding of God, is “I will change my heart and life.” That is a good description of repentance. True repentance is an encounter with God, an understanding of the Lord in a way that changes how we, think and feel and what we do.

While Job’s understanding of God was not complete, it was better than his “comforters.” The Lord commands Job’s three friends to bring sacrifices and to have Job pray for them. Was that easy for Job? These three had been more of a “thorn in his flesh” than a true  source of comfort. They worked hard to condemn Job and use a faulty concept of God to make Job feel his suffering was rightly deserved.

We don’t know how Job felt, but we know what he did and we see the result. After he prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his possession, family and status and health. I don’t believe Job’s restoration would have been complete if he continued to be tormented by the words of his friends and carried unforgiveness and resentment for them in his heart.

We can learn much at the end of Job’s life. We need to accept that our understanding of God will always be limited. We need to allow the trials of life to give us a clearer picture of the Lord’s character and ways and allow that to build our trust and relationship with Him. We need to understand that restoration and recovery relates to our relationship with others as much as it does to God. There is nothing the Lord allows to be taken away, that He can’t fully restore and then some, if that His plan and purpose for our life.