Revival in our...
Jeremiah turns his attention to the future downfall of the Babylonians. This may have seemed crazy, especially as Babylon was taking Judah into captivity. For generations, God's people had turned their backs on the Lord, apart from a faithful remnant. Yet, in the midst of judgment, the Lord speaks of a future restoration and hearts returning to Him.
""In those days and in that time," says the LORD, "The children of Israel shall come, They and the children of Judah together; With continual weeping they shall come, And seek the LORD their God. They shall ask the way to Zion, With their faces toward it, saying, 'Come and let us join ourselves to the LORD In a perpetual covenant That will not be forgotten.' "My people have been lost sheep. Their shepherds have led them astray; They have turned them away on the mountains. They have gone from mountain to hill; They have forgotten their resting place." Jeremiah 50:4-6
Generation after generation repeated the same mistakes. One generation influenced the next, leading God's people further from Him. Eventually, judgment came but that wasn't the end of their story. The Lord promised restoration. Ezra and Nehemiah led Israel in a renewed hunger for God's Word, confession of sin, and a desire to walk in obedience.
Revival came, even if it took generations. And at the heart of it was repentance, a turning away from their ways and back to the Lord.
Revival today begins in our hearts. Not by looking inward, but by looking upward and recognizing our desperate need for the Lord, and His grace and mercy. When our focus shifts from ourselves to Him, our hearts begin to change.
So, where is your focus? What has captured your attention?
The Lord is able to stir hearts, yours & mine alike. But we must humble ourselves before His mighty hand, turn from our ways, and surrender afresh to His Word and His will?
Revival can start today, if we're willing to let Him begin that work within us? Are you ready?
-To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.