I've been reading in Jeremiah, and at times It's been difficult to continue to read since the state of God's people in Jeremiah's day is so reminiscent of what we see in much of the Church today, and that can be really distressing and depressing. However, God's intent in giving us these books is that they might serve as a gracious warning to us to examine ourselves and to spur us onto prayer. If you've not read in the Old Testament in a while, particularly the prophetic books, I'd recommend you do so.

The reality is this: apart from the grace of God, the continuing propensity of men is to water down, distort and discard God's truth for lies. Books like Jeremiah serve as a solemn reminder to us that we must return to the preaching and teaching of the Word of God in the power and authority of the Holy Spirit without compromise. And we must persevere in prayer to appeal to God to be gracious to us, not to be a stranger, but to be zealous and put on strength, to return and rend the heavens and revive His people again, just as He has done numerous times throughout Church history. (Please also see my post "Is it not written...?" Mark 11:15 | the Biblical means of revival.)

Throughout the first 29 chapters of Jeremiah, there is very little relief. It seems the LORD God is continuing to make His case against His people, showing them time and again their sinfulness, heaping it up as it were, much as Israel and Judah had heaped up her sin against Him, with Israel already carried off by Assyria and Judah's exile to Babylon imminent. And, time and again, we see Judah not heeding God's gracious warnings, and God's grief over His people's continuing sin and disobedience and hardness of heart. However, in chapters 30-33, there is a change in tone, as we see God's promised mercies breaking out, with His plan of restoration and revival for Israel and Judah revealed.

As I read Jeremiah 30:3 last night, my heart rejoiced and trembled, and I felt a great sense of relief as I read: "'For behold, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, when I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the LORD, 'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it...'"

For behold ...

The days ARE coming! I WILL bring back from captivity My people! I WILL cause them to return! They SHALL possess it!

Is there any doubt there? Who is it that is declaring these wonderful promises?

The LORD Himself!

Who WILL accomplish these things?

The LORD Himself!

When we are tempted to doubt and despair over the state of the Church, may God give us grace to fix our eyes on Him and appeal to Him in prayer, and recount His promises, power, persevering grace to and everlasting love for His people. Can our Good Shepherd ever forget or forsake His sheep? We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Jeremiah 30:3 'For behold, the days are coming,' declares the LORD, when I will bring back from captivity My people Israel and Judah,' says the LORD, 'And I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it...

31:28 'And it shall come to pass, that as I have watched over them to pluck up, to break down, to throw down, to destroy, and to afflict, so I will watch over them to build and to plant,' says the LORD. (quotations from NKJV)

O, LORD God, we confess we have strayed far from You and Your ways in a similar manner to what we see in the time of Jeremiah. We have not guarded or heeded Your Word. We have exchanged Your truth for lies. Forgive us our iniquity and do not remember our sin, for Jesus' sake. We confess we have refused to hear Your Words, we have not obeyed Your voice, we have forgotten You, we have walked after the imagination of our hearts. Be gracious to us for we are Your people purchased with Christ's precious blood. Cleanse us from our unrighteousness and evil.

Thank You, LORD God, for the continuing reminders throughout Your Word that Your covenant mercies in Jesus Christ will never fail. Thank You for the reminders that in Your sovereign time, there is no doubt that the days are coming, that You will move to bring back Your Church from captivity, that You will turn us, so we might repent and turn back to You, that You will give us a heart to seek Your face and walk in Your ways and embrace Your truth and then possess all the blessings You have made available to us through Your Son Jesus Christ, that we might once again be a praise in the earth and no longer a reproach to Your holy name.

Apart from this knowledge of Your continuing covenant mercies and love for Your people, we would have no hope. Turn our eyes to look to You and Your character and promises, and impart to us a greater concern for Your glory and for the honor of Your Name. Fill us with Your unrelenting love, grace and mercies for Your people so we might be faithful watchmen as we persevere in prayer and give out Your Word until You establish us once again, so we might go forth as brightness and a burning torch to all the nations. You have promised that those who wait for You will never be ashamed. Just as You watched over us to pluck up and break down, to overthrow, destroy, and bring harm, we look by faith to the day to come when You will watch over us to build and to plant, for Your praise, honor and glory.

Jeremiah 14:7  “Though our iniquities testify against us,
act, O LORD, for your name's sake;
for our backslidings are many;
we have sinned against you.

8  O you hope of Israel,
its savior in time of trouble,
why should you be like a stranger in the land,
like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night?

9  Why should you be like a man confused,
like a mighty warrior who cannot save?
Yet you, O LORD, are in the midst of us,
and we are called by your name;
do not leave us.”

Luke 24:28  So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29  but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30  When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31  And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32  They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33  And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34  saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35  Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.

O, LORD our God,

Though our iniquities today are many, though our sins testify against us as they did in the day of Jeremiah, will you not act for Jesus' sake?

Though our iniquities today are many, though our sins testify against us as they did in the day of Jeremiah, will you not have mercy on us for Jesus' sake?

We are called by Your Name. We are Your people. You are our God. You alone are our hope. You alone are our Savior in time of trouble.

Lord Jesus, do not be like a stranger in the land! Do not be like a traveler who turns aside to tarry for a night! Do not be like a man confused! You alone are the mighty warrior who can save us!

O, Lord our God, do not delay! Are you not already in our midst? O, do not be silent! Do not turn Your face away from us!

Open our ears so we might hear You. Open our eyes so we might see You. Open our hearts to receive You. Open our souls that we might know You.

Have mercy upon us for we are Your people. Have mercy on us for we are called by Your Name. Like the disciples on the Emmaus road, we urge You to stay with us. O, it is near evening. The day is far spent. We are in great trouble. Much of Your Church in many places is in a very dark place now. O, Morning Star, will You not arise once again and shine Your light upon us in this gloomy place? Will You not come and abide with us? O, stay with us! Do not leave us. Do not forsake us.

LORD our God, the only Savior, will You not once again come in glory to Your Church in our time of trouble and cause Your face to shine on us and restore us so we might be saved? We have no other hope but You.

On this Lord's Day particularly, as Your Word is taught and preached by Your servants, may Your blessed Spirit come into the midst so Your Word might go out with power, boldness and assurance. May the teaching and preaching of Your Word be made effectual by Your Holy Spirit. Let Your Holy Word spoken and heard not be a dead letter but become a living fire in our souls so our hearts might burn within us. May that passion incite a flaming zeal for Your glory and renown throughout the world.

O, LORD our God, be gracious to us. Be very gracious to us. Draw near to us as You cause us to draw near to You. Make Yourself known to us this day. May our hearts burn within us. Bless Your Word as it is read and spoken and heard. May the soil of our hearts be prepared this day and each and every time we come to Your Word so it might take root and grow and flourish and produce the fruit You desire. May we receive You and Your Word humbly. May Your Word not return void but burn within us like a fire in our hearts that we cannot hold in.

O, we are hungry for You, Bread of Life. No other bread can satisfy! No worldly bread can nourish our souls. Living God, feed us with Your living Bread until we want no more! O, Lord Jesus, meet with us this day. Do not leave us! Stay with us!

Holy Father, You have chosen us and called us to be Your people. Jesus Christ, heavenly Bridegroom, we are Your bride. Chief Shepherd, we are Your people, the sheep of Your pasture. O, Good Shepherd of the sheep, why should You be like a stranger to us? Hope of Israel, do not leave us! Holy Savior, come to us! Make Yourself known to us this day! May our hearts burn within us this day! Holy Spirit, may we not grieve, quench or limit You as we read and hear Your Word.

Continuing on in Nehemiah . . . My last post was on the need for us to preach assurance of the forgiveness of sins for all who are in Christ, based on that portion in Nehemiah 8 where the people began to weep over their sins when they heard the Word of God, but they were instructed to rejoice. After that time of rejoicing, however, there was a clear call to confession and repentance of sins. Conviction, confession and repentance of sin is a necessary proof of our relationship with God through Jesus Christ; there can be no true worship of the LORD our God apart from circumcised and softened hearts, hearts which are broken, contrite and grieved over our sin. And let us always remember that conviction, confession and repentance of sin comes as God's Holy Spirit works through the reading, preaching and teaching of His Word. In addition to this post, please see my related prayer from Ezra 9 as well as these:

• May we gather as one man to hear Your Word (Nehemiah 8)
• Give us ears to be attentive to Your words alone (Nehemiah 8:3)
• one sign of revival: attentiveness to the Word of God (Whitefield's Journals)
• "People cannot take preaching...People are dying through lack of knowledge." (ML-J)
• pray for ministers to read from the book clearly, give the sense & understanding - Neh. 8:8
• Awaken a hunger for Biblical preaching (accounts of revival in Virginia in the late 18th c.)
• Forgive us, Holy Spirit, for grieving You, for not paying attention to Your Word
• Forgive us, Holy Spirit, for grieving You by despising the gift of Your Word
• May we increasingly desire to understand & study Your Word (Neh. 8:13)
• "not only in word" - send Your Holy Spirit so we might proclaim Your Gospel in power

I would encourage you to read through Nehemiah 8 before continuing reading here.

Nehemiah 9 [1] Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. [2] And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. [3] And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshiped the LORD their God.

O Lord our God,

How often do we assemble together with such a solemn attitude as we see here? How often do we see the depth of our sin in light of Your holiness? How often do we confess our sins? How often do we confess others' sins rather than seeing the planks in our own eyes? How often do we live no differently than the world? Are we not to be separate from the world? Are we not to be holy as You are holy?

How often do we assemble together and not have Your Word read? No wonder why there is often no difference between those of us who are in the Church and those who are not. No wonder why there is no conviction of sin. No wonder why there is no confession of sin. No wonder why there is no repentance of sin. Be merciful to us. Forgive us for neglecting Your very own Word to us, Your God-breathed words. Restore to us the reading, right preaching and teaching of the Word in our churches, O Lord. Give us pastors and teachers who know the vital necessity of making Your Word put in the central place. Give Your people a hunger to hear Your Word preached and taught rightly, rather than settling for second best, for drinking from broken cisterns and stagnant water.