What’s Next?

Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27)

This is the month of May and ordinarily I would write a blog on Mother’s Day. I was blessed with an awesome mother and I miss her tremendously. However, these are not ordinary times and I am once again compelled to write something relevant to address the time in which we live.

As I write this article, our lives have been shaken to the core by this pandemic. I dare say not one of us have not been impacted. We have lost a loved one, or we know someone that contracted the disease. We have lost a job or seen a reduction in hours. We have experienced depression, loneliness and perhaps isolation. Perhaps you have felt guilt, remorse, or fear. Please know that you are not alone, and God will have the final say. Eventually the shelter in place orders will come to an end and the question we will begin to ask is – “What’s next?”

In the book of Jeremiah, God finally reached His boiling point with Judah. Their years of unfaithfulness, idolatry and sin had brought God to the point where He had to enforce His law. We should know if God never enforces His Word, He becomes a liar and He cannot lie. God allowed the Babylonian enemy to rise up and besiege Jerusalem. Several false prophets were telling King Zedekiah, king of Judah, that everything was going to be alright. Jeremiah, a true, God-fearing prophet, warned Zedekiah and the people that God was not pleased, and judgement was pending. For speaking out, Jeremiah was imprisoned.

While in prison, God instructed Jeremiah to purchase a plot of land from his cousin. This seemed odd to the prophet considering (1) he was in jail and could not benefit from it; and (2) Babylon was about to conquer Judah and any Jew owning property would lose it. But God had a plan.

God told Jeremiah that by purchasing the property, it would serve as a symbol that there was hope and one day God would restore Israel and the land would have value. God was sending a message that the Babylonian captivity would not last forever; God’s wrath would not last forever; Jeremiah’s imprisonment would not last forever.

My friends, there is hope. God has not abdicated the throne and the Church will rise out of this pandemic victorious. It may seem impossible, it may seem improbable, and you may not be able to see it with your natural eye. People around you may doubt it and the experts may have calculated that restoration will never happen. However, I took a closer look at the writing of Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. He recorded exactly what the Almighty God said, “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh: is there anything too hard for me?”

I bless you in the name of the Lord!