May we find grace in Your eyes! Appear to us from far away! ~ Jeremiah 31:1-7

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build, covenant, eat, grace, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 31, joy, lament, love, plant, rejoice, ruins, the Father's discipline, watchmen, worship

Jeremiah 31:1  At that time, declares the LORD, “I will be the God of all the clans of Israel, and they shall be my people.”

Church of God, chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world, and adopted by the Father, saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ – Has the LORD ever ceased being our God? Have we ever ceased from being His people?

Today, in the days of our decline, as we see so much of the Church a reproach to the name of our God, where we are nothing close to holiness to the Lord in either our doctrine or practice, when we are sorely tempted to lose hope and despair, yet here we are reminded to look back at LORD’s continuing love, mercy and grace toward His people.

2  Thus says the LORD:
“The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
3  the LORD appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;

My brothers and sisters, in our wilderness state today, let us fix our eyes on Jesus and remember the LORD’s love, faithfulness, promises and covenant mercies to us in Jesus Christ. God’s promises and His covenant are everlasting because His love for us is everlasting. He is our God and we are His people. He will never leave us or forsake us. Even in our languishing state here in the wilderness, even though we have grieved Him, even though much of the Church has so fallen short of His glory, where we can rightly be called Ichabod, where we are in ruins, where we are in desperate need of revival and where we are seeking rest like Israel, even today we can rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Why? For we can be sure that just as the LORD did in the days of Moses, and as He did in the days of decline throughout Church history, because He is our God and we are His people, He will once again appear to us from far away and we too will find grace in the wilderness because He continues to love us with an everlasting love. In wrath, He will remember mercy and He will rend the heavens and cause His face to shine on us and we shall be revived!

O, children of God, even though He seems so far away today, even though the heavens are like brass, even though the rain is turned to powder and dust, we can be sure of our Bridegroom’s everlasting love for His bride! And so, one day we can trust that just as the wind blows, from far away, His Spirit will sound like a rushing mighty wind and breathe on us again to revive us and baptize us with fire. And the lukewarm church will be set ablaze for the glory of God! And one day we will rejoice and sing, “Behold He comes!” He will appear to us from far away because He is our God and we are His people and He has loved us with an everlasting love and like Israel, and we will find grace in the wilderness.

Is there a time when the LORD’s faithfulness has ceased toward His people? Does His love for us have an ending or beginning? Has He not loved us with an everlasting love? Will our Father’s love and faithfulness not continue toward us for the sake of His Son and our Savior Jesus Christ?

therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.

O, thanks be to God, that the LORD is faithful when we are not. Great is His faithfulness! Morning by morning, new mercies we see. O, we know how our love for Him is so often is like the morning cloud, but His love for us is everlasting.

And so let us look to the everlasting love and everlasting covenant promises of our ever faithful and never failing God!

Even today as we are broken down, in ruins and a reproach . . .  may the Spirit give us ears to hear Him:

4  Again I will build you, and you shall be built, O virgin Israel!

Rejoice with me, O Church, that He is our God and we are His people!
Rejoice with me, O Church, in His everlasting love and His continuing faithfulness to us!
O, LORD, may we find grace in Your eyes for we are Your people!
O, LORD, appear to us from far away!
O, LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel!

Even today as we are unadorned and in lament . . . may the Spirit give us ears to hear Him:

Again you shall adorn yourself with tambourines
and shall go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.

Rejoice with me, O Church, that He is our God and we are His people!
Rejoice with me, O Church, in His everlasting love and His continuing faithfulness to us!
O, LORD, may we find grace in Your eyes for we are Your people!
O, LORD, appear to us from far away!
O, LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel!

Even today as we are barren and hungry  . . .  may the Spirit give us ears to hear Him:

5  Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant
and shall enjoy the fruit.

Rejoice with me, O Church, that He is our God and we are His people!
Rejoice with me, O Church, in His everlasting love and His continuing faithfulness to us!
O, LORD, may we find grace in Your eyes for we are Your people!
O, LORD, appear to us from far away!
O, LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel!

Even today as the watchmen are few and Zion is despised . . . may the Spirit give us ears to hear Him:

6  For there shall be a day when watchmen will call
in the hill country of Ephraim:
‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
to the LORD our God.’”

Rejoice with me, O Church, that He is our God and we are His people!
Rejoice with me, O Church, in His everlasting love and His continuing faithfulness to us!
O, LORD, may we find grace in Your eyes for we are Your people!
O, LORD, appear to us from far away!
O, LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel!

Even today as our faith has not yet become sight . . . may the Spirit give us ears to hear Him and voices to shout, proclaim, praise and petition Him:

7  For thus says the LORD:
“Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
‘O LORD, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.’

Rejoice with me, O Church, that He is our God and we are His people!
Rejoice with me, O Church, in His everlasting love and His continuing faithfulness to us!
O, LORD, may we find grace in Your eyes for we are Your people!
O, LORD, appear to us from far away!
O, LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel!

*Please add your PRAYERS and PRAISES as His Spirit leads you.*