Re:Verse passage – Jeremiah 29:10–14 (day two)
Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. vs. 12
As Pastor Chris said yesterday in the re:vlog video, 70 is a lifetime. Jeremiah contains many words of warning and admonition to kings, leaders, and people of every station. The Lord had been speaking to the people through prophets for generations, and this exile was not a surprise to those who were listening.
That’s the key to this passage; listening, keeping alert, and not straying from the path. There are many instances where people go through hardship, and they turn to every possible source of help and hope, and in their desperation they finally turn to the Lord. This is not one of those times. The Lord, in his mercy, had promised a time of hardship and exile because of the people’s sin. There were, however, a remnant who remained faithful throughout the struggle. God reminds us of his presence throughout the trial. In this case he gives a timeframe, just like he did to Moses. Struggles can be a part of a larger narrative that the Lord is teaching you, and others. Sometimes, your job is to endure. You are to remain faithful. The Lord is not absent, he is always at work.
