“Ah Lord God! Behold, Thou hast made the heaven and the earth by Thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for Thee.” Jeremiah 32:17
Dear Ones:
Have you ever wondered why the songwriters of the Psalms consistently come back again and again to blessing the Lord, praising Him, and giving Him thanks? Also, their message is an anthem, ever specifically rising in intensity and grandeur with regard to the great and wonderful attributes of God, His mercy, grace, loving-kindness, and goodness. Why is this so? It has to do with concept and truth of what is called “magnitude,” resulting in the eclipse of all beside. An eclipse of the sun is when the moon passes between earth and the sun, thus appearing almost larger than the sun, hiding it from view. The psalmists, in the measure and strength of their declarations concerning the blessed attributes of the living God, put all other things in their right place, hidden and eclipsed by the glory and wonder of God. Such is the case in the life and example of Jeremiah.
In the days of Jeremiah, when Israel was under siege from the Babylonians, the situation was a dire one, not only because of the physical reality of the assault by the enemy, but because the Lord had told Israel that this would occur because of their faithlessness. However, the Eternal and Sovereign God, whose kingdom is everlasting, will put HOPE into the heart of Jeremiah, and through his message, also into the heart of the people. He will declare that there will be a return to the land, a restoration of the kingdom, and a revisiting by the Lord with mercies and blessing. It is then, when Almighty God, by His word of promise, begins to eclipse the terrible events of the deportation, that hope is born. Through the rain and smoke of hardship, the Sovereign God is present, seeing into every heart, and working ALWAYS to save, and to accomplish His blessed will. The question then becomes, “Will He find those who will believe that ‘…there is nothing too hard for Him?'”
During the ministry of Jesus, there came to him a rich man who sought to “inherit eternal life.” He would not be able to do what Jesus told him, and departed grieving. With respect to the impossibility of this man eventually coming to faith in Christ, the Lord would say to His disciples, “With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God ALL things are possible.” (Mark 10:27) What is it that we must learn from this story, and that of Israel under siege? It is that God is “bigger than ourselves.” As the vision of Him, according to the truth of His word, increases, the “impossibilities of man” are eclipsed by the “possibilities of God.” So, what shall we do, that we may believe Him for the “impossible” according to His will? We are to practice what the Psalmists proclaimed…declare and pray the unfathomable riches of Christ, appealing to the blessed and wonderful attributes of our Maker, Redeemer, Savior, and Keeper. Then the glory of the sovereign Creator and Redeemer, will eclipse the lesser things of this earth, and we shall rise by faith to lay hold on the God of the impossible, who waits to work on behalf of those who truly trust Him.
Dear Father, increase our vision of Thyself, Thy Son, and the Spirit, so that, strengthened in heart and mind, we may believe Thee for the wonderful thing today. Save us from the littleness of ourselves, filling our vision with Thy goodness and sovereignty. Fill us with the knowledge of Your will, so that in wisdom and knowledge, we may truly trust Thee for the full outworking of that blessed will for Thy glory. We praise and thank Thee in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad