Scripture
10‘If you will still remain in this land, then I will build you and not pull you down, and I will plant you and not pluck you up. For I relent concerning the disaster that I have brought upon you. 11Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom you are afraid; do not be afraid of him,’ says the Lord, for I am with you, to save you and deliver you from his hand. 12And I will show you mercy, that he may have mercy on you and cause you to return to your own land.’ Jeremiah 42:10-12
Observation
The Israelites wanted to run from Babylon and hide in Egypt. The oppression of that pagan land was starting to get to them and they were certain that if they could just get to Egypt then they would “see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor be hungry for bread” (Jer. 42:14). So, here God was telling them to stay when they wanted to run. They refused God’s seemingly irrational instructions, ran for Egypt, and the very fear they were running from they were running to. The best place to be is in the middle of God’s will even if it’s in the middle of Babylon. If we make decisions out of fear rather than faith fear becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. The outcome we try to avoid we actually accelerate and perpetuate- “the very war and famine you fear will catch up to you, and you will die there.” (Jeremiah 42:16)
Application
Yesterday, our family drove back from Arizona to California and came across the familiar “Welcome To California” road sign covered with colorful orange poppies. Despite the welcome sign many are leaving California in the rear view mirror. It’s easy to understand and why when you take a look at the headlines in California. In just today’s headlines alone you can see the parallels to The Book of Jeremiah and the struggle God’s people had to holding to faith while living life in the pagan city of Babylon:
-“We didn’t have a plan”: As wildfires rage across California, rural communities are struggling to ensure the safety of older people as well as those with disabilities.
-Lack of drinking water: Two Fresno County towns with no drinking water are drowning in debt while hope fades for a new well, reports The Fresno Bee.
-College admissions scandal: Opening statements begin on Monday for the first parents to face trial in a sweeping college admissions case that exposed the role that money plays in the fight for seats at brand-name schools. The first two parents facing trial tried to get their children into the University of Southern California.
-Loitering for prostitution: The police in California would no longer be able to arrest anyone for loitering with the intent to engage in prostitution under a bill approved by state lawmakers on Friday, reports The Associated Press.
-Assisted death law: California lawmakers moved to extend and streamline the state’s physician-assisted suicide law, reducing the time terminal patients must wait to acquire the fatal drugs, according to The Associated Press.
-First transgender bishop: The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America installed its first openly transgender bishop in a service held in San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral over the weekend, according to The Associated Press.
This isn’t even talking about the fact that in fewer than 48 hours, we’ll most likely know who is going to be running the nation’s most populous state next year after tomorrow’s recall election. It would be really easy to join the movement away from California and head to whatever version of Egypt looks appealing to us. This isn’t just hyperbole either. From Big Tech companies like Tesla, Oracle, and Hewlett Packard to the average person weary of living in a place that’s overpriced and under a government of overreach many are heading somewhere else. From July 2019 to July 2020, 135,000 more people left the state than moved here. And that's only the 12th time that that's happened since 1900. I’m not saying, of course, that everyone who has moved out of California is in rebellion to the Lord. I am saying, let’s stop and ask the Lord, am I still called to California? If the answer is yes, then let’s stop letting the headlines lead us by fear. Instead, let’s draw a line in the sand and say with a united conviction, “I’m not moving until God tells me to because I want to see a move of God right here in the heart of Babylon… and it starts in my heart.”
Prayer
I prayed. I voted. Jesus, regardless of who wins the Recall Election tomorrow I know You are in control. You called our family to California in the middle of a worldwide pandemic, racial unrest, and political upheaval. You didn’t call us here to run in fear, but stand in prayer and watch You do wonders. I pray for strength and safety for our firefighters on the frontlines. Let the rain fall and the winds die down. Give me Your heart for the prostitutes, the suicidal, the transgender, the affluent, the immigrant, the hungry and thirsty. Between fight or flight there is a place of faith. Between the headlines and the state line there’s a lifeline You’ve called us to be in the world around us. Before Babylon falls let our faith rise to believe that You want do something new in the heart of every person we come across. It starts with my heart Lord. Dismantle my decision making matrix based on fear so that I will obey You and stay put even when I want to run. For there is no better place to be than in the middle of Your will!
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