Scripture:
Jeremiah 31:16-18 NKJV
[16] Thus says the Lord: “Refrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears; For your work shall be rewarded, says the Lord, And they shall come back from the land of the enemy. [17] There is hope in your future, says the Lord, That your children shall come back to their own border. [18] “I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself: ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like an untrained bull; Restore me, and I will return, For You are the Lord my God.
Observation:
Knowing the bible a little bit helps us to understand what is being said in these verses. Verse 15, which I left out, and now I’m not sure exactly why, explains that Rachel was crying for her children. Children that had gone into captivity. Now, in order to explain, we have to know that the book of Jeremiah is written about the captivity that the Jewish people faced in the Babylonian empire. So Rachel honestly had a good reason to be weeping. Her kids were being held captive by a very sin-filled nation. However, in verse 16, Jeremiah, through the power of the Holy Spirit, had something to say about it. The LORD had a message. Stop weeping and dry your eyes from the tears. So let me tell you how I understand the weeping. I believe Rachel was crying out to the LORD for her children. I believe she knew the agony and mistreatment they were experiencing, and the pain in her heart caused her to earnestly cry out and seek the LORD’S face. Because the second half of verse 16 says that your work will be rewarded and they will be returned from the land of the enemy. Verse 17 also confirmed that by expressing that ” there is hope in your future, says the LORD, That your children will return to their own borders.” In verse 18, we see the focus shift to Ephraim and his expression of sorrow over the situation he had gotten himself into. He knew that he had deserved what had happened and was crying out to the LORD as well as his mother. His cry was basically this… you have trained me through these circumstances because I was untrained. Now restore me so that I can return to you because you are my GOD and my LORD. I know I took some liberty there… however, if you read it for yourself, you can clearly see what I am saying.
Application:
Maybe you’re a parent, and you have a son or a daughter who has gotten themselves into some tough situations, and you have been praying and crying out to the LORD. Maybe you are the son of your daughter, and you realize that the circumstances are of your own making and the training methods of the LORD have finally broken through. This morning, I have been instructed to reassure you to look up that redemption is near. Don’t stop praying. Call out to Jesus. HE hears your cry of desperation. As a parent, it is our job to train and trust. The Bible says to train a child in the way it should go, and when they are old, they will not part from it. The Bible never says they won’t go prodigal, but that they will not part from their training. I want to assure you that your prayers are being heard. Now to the child. Maybe you have been going the wrong way, and the pain of your natural consequences is starting to hurt too much, and you are starting to hear the still small voice of the LORD telling you to come home you don’t have to live that way. Listen, all you have to do is cry out to the LORD. HE will hear your cry, and HE is waiting to receive you. HE hears the desperate cries of a sinner and, through the blood of HIS Son, has already restored you. Now, just to let you into my life. Because I believe that’s the important part of all this in my opinion. I have known Jesus as my LORD and SAVIOR for over 14 years now. But there was a time when I was not doing what I should… I know without a doubt someone was praying for me. Because in all the captivity of drug addiction and degradation that I had placed myself in, I knew that the LORD was not going to leave me there. The still small voice got a little louder every time the natural consequences were more than I was willing to pay. Until in desperation, I cried out to the LORD, walking down a dark highway the rain so heavy that there was no way to hide from it shaking my fist at the sky. I’m begging GOD to take my life. In that cry of desperation, HE heard me and did just that. I wanted a lightning bolt to the brain and instead, HE put the bible on my heart. HE took my life. It’s not my own. So what I’m telling you is this. If you are praying for someone, don’t stop, and if you are… the someone cry out. GOD hears you, HE has a plan for you. HE is training you to seek HIS face. We do not have to live in sin. the enemy is a liar. As we seek GOD’S face, HE will set us free from captivity. Just make HIM your number one priority. I promise you, HE will I am living proof.
Prayer:
Father, we know that you have set us free. There is no reason to return to the captivity the enemy once held us in. We lift up your Holy name right now with an overwhelming debt of gratitude. Thank you for the redemption you have given us and the grace that you have shown. You are truly amazing. Our hearts are breaking for those who are still in captivity, and we are crying out to you for them. You know that you hear our prayers, and we are asking that you speak into their hearts and draw them to you. We are suited and ready to kick down the gates and go get the. We just need to clearly hear your voice help us to train our ears to do so. There is no reason that the enemy should be dragging them into captivity when the same Spirit that you used to raise your son from the dead lives in us. Father, give us the boldness to speak the truth into their lives and fight for them on our knees. It’s in the mighty name of Jesus I pray amen.