We're in Jeremiah today for a little gem shining in the darkness. I was reading along in my devotions one day, and the following verses were so lovely. So quintessential of our God.
"Now the word of the Lord came unto Jeremiah, while he was shut up in the court of the prison, saying, Go and speak to Ebed-melech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will bring my words upon this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished in that day before thee. But I will deliver thee in that day, saith the Lord: and thou shalt not be given into the hand of the men of whom thou art afraid. For I will surely deliver thee, and thou shalt not fall by the sword, but thy life shall be for a prey unto thee: because thou hast put thy trust in me, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 39:15-18 KJV
What did this Ethiopian do? I wondered.
Well, as most humans do, I'd forgotten him already. I shouldn't have. His story had been in the chapter just before this one.
Turns out, Ebed-melech had petitioned the king to rescue Jeremiah from the miry pit into which he'd been cast to die. What a Godly man! What a friend to the prophet. And I'd already forgotten him.
For all our human forgetfulness, God never forgets.
The city was besieged. Bread had almost run out (or had run out, I'm not sure about the timeline). God was busy judging the sin of Israel. Life was chaotic, but God never forgets us. He is never too busy to give us what we need, and God sent word to Ebed-melech to tell him not to fear. That God had him. He wouldn't die.
Such a beautiful moment. A little gem in the middle of Jeremiah.
God knows our frame. He knows we need comfort. We ought to trust Him implicitly, but He doesn't mind sending us words of comfort when we need it. God doesn't mind that we need some assurance. That we have to be told not to fear.
God is never too busy. Our life will never be too chaotic. He will always take the time to give us the assurance we need.
Praise be to our God!
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