Fifth Saturday of Lent by Bob Morgan 3/20/21

 

Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 29:1-14

“For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you hope and a future. In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest.

Yes, says the Lord, I will be found by you, and I will end your slavery and restore your fortune, and gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you back home again to your own land.”-Jeremiah 29:11-14 TLB

One of the Christmas presents I received in December 1973 was “The Way”, a Bible that was geared towards high school age students. It was a gift from my uncle, Wallace Kirby, a Methodist minister, and his wife Sally. 

Near the front of that Bible was a list of all the books and chapters in a checklist form. I saw that I started reading it on December 27, 1973. I dutifully checked off each chapter I read, until I got stuck—for many years. When I stopped the regular reading, I only had 6 chapters left to complete reading it one time through. I didn’t ignore it completely. I would pick it up and read a passage now and again when I was particularly stimulated by a Sunday sermon or a particular season of the church year. Recently, I picked that Bible up from the nightstand where it sat and started to read it from where I left off—the Old Testament Book of Jeremiah. Wow, did he have it tough compared to other prophets. In God’s message to the exiled people of Israel, however, is a pearl of hope and future.

Earlier in Lent, Chuck asked me to sing a solo for our virtual church service. I came across “If You Search with All Your Heart,” a solo by Craig Courtney, based on Jeremiah 29:11-14. In that passage Jeremiah writes a letter to Jeconiah the king who was in exile in Babylon. In that letter, God tells his people in Babylon he has a plan for them, plans for good and not for evil. God continues, “In those days when you pray, I will listen. You will find me when you seek me, if you look for me in earnest. When you have found me, I will end your slavery and gather you out of the nations where I sent you and bring you back home again to your own land.”

I feel that this passage is so applicable to the season of Lent, a time of reflection and prayer. It speaks to me and urges me to prayerfully seek God each day and He will bring me back to him. The words are a humble prayer from God to his people, to seek him, find him, be restored, and have hope for the future. It is a passage that should speak to each of us, not just during Lent, but each and every day of our lives.

Thought for the day: As we follow our own Lenten journey to the cross and Easter, let us reflect on God’s plans for us and our future.

 

--Bob Morgan