Hi Sisters!
God’s Word never ceases to surprise me. Since I usually read in three books of the Bible each day, there’s a little something different I receive from each place. Then there are days when two or all three books align into a delicious spiritual meal. May 13th was one of those days:
“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth . . . I am watching over my word to perform it . . . say to them everything that I command you . . . They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.”
~ From Jeremiah 1
“And the Lord said to Paul one night in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, but go on speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many in this city who are my people.’”
~Acts 18:9-10
Here’s a little background. In Jeremiah 1, God commissions Jeremiah to be a prophet to the people of Judah. If you read the opening lines of the chapter, you will notice that Jeremiah was a prophet from the time of Josiah, king of Judah, through Judah’s eventual exile by the Babylonians. The last few chapters of II Chronicles and II Kings recount the story of Judah’s decline. This is the time period in which Jeremiah was commissioned. God paints a bleak picture for his job right from the start. He instructs Jeremiah to speak His words of repentance to the people and He will be with him. But, He tells Jeremiah the people will not listen and will actively fight against what he will speak.
In Acts 18, Paul is on one of his missionary journeys and he comes to the city of Corinth. God reveals to Paul that he should stay and continue the ministry in Corinth because there is a remnant who will listen. This is also where he meets Aquila and Priscilla, who have a huge impact in the Jesus movement. The next verse mentions how he stayed in Corinth a year and a half.
In both places, God commissions a person (Jeremiah/Paul) to speak His words. He promises both He will be with them in this task. However, God presents very different outcomes. For Jeremiah, the people will not listen and will fight against him, yet God commissions him anyway. For Paul, there will be people who listen, follow Jesus, and contribute in helping others follow Him. The overlap of these two passages in one day is totally God!
God has given us His Word. We speak His words and His message regardless of our fears or perceptions of how people will react. God is the one who is watching over His words to perform them. We too have been commissioned by God to be His messengers, to make disciples, to baptize, and to teach others how to follow Jesus (Acts 1:8; Matt. 28:18-20). His presence is promised on the heels of this commission. The reality of two outcomes to speaking God’s words is still true for us today. One, there will be those who reject the words of God and fight against them. Two, there will be those who receive the words of God and co-labor in God’s Kingdom. Either way, our calling is the same.
I pray you are also in God’s Word and listening to Him speak. I pray you also answer the call to be His messenger and share His words with others around you regardless of your perceived outcome. He is with you to accomplish this calling!
By the River Together 