RG AUDIO 110615
“The people escaping the sword
found favor in the desert —
I have brought Isra’el to its rest.”
2 (3) From a distance Adonai appeared to me, [saying,]
“I love you with an everlasting love;
this is why in my grace I draw you to me.
3 (4) Once again, I will build you; you will be rebuilt,
virgin of Isra’el.
Once again, equipped with your tambourines,
you will go out and dance with the merrymakers.
4 (5) Once again, you will plant vineyards on the hills of Shomron,
and those doing the planting will have the use of its fruit.
5 (6) For a day will come when the watchmen
on Mount Efrayim will call,
‘Come, let’s go up to Tziyon,
to Adonai our God.’”
6 (7) For here is what Adonai says:
“Sing with joy for Ya‘akov!
shout for the chief of the nations!
Proclaim your praise, and say:
‘Adonai! You have saved your people,
the remnant of Isra’el!’
7 (8) Look! I am bringing them from the land in the north,
gathering them from the far ends of the earth;
among them are the blind and lame,
women with children, women in labor,
all together, a vast throng
returning here.
8 (9) They will come weeping and praying
as I bring them back.
I will lead them by streams of water
on smooth paths, so that they won’t stumble.
For I am a father to Isra’el,
and Efrayim is my firstborn son.”
9 (10) Nations, hear the word of Adonai!
Proclaim it in the coastlands far away. Say:
“He who scattered Isra’el is gathering him,
guarding him like a shepherd his flock.”
10 (11) For Adonai has ransomed Ya‘akov,
redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
11 (12) They will come and sing on the heights of Tziyon,
streaming to the goodness of Adonai,
to the grain, the wine, the olive oil,
and the young of the flock and the herd.
They themselves will be like a well-watered garden,
never to languish again.
12 (13) “Then the virgin will dance for joy,
young men and old men together;
for I will turn their mourning into joy,
comfort and gladden them after their sorrow.
13 (14) I will give the cohanim their fill of rich food,
and my people will be satisfied with my bounty,” says Adonai.
14 (15) This is what Adonai says:
“A voice is heard in Ramah,
lamenting and bitter weeping.
It is Rachel weeping for her children,
refusing to be comforted for her children,
because they are no longer alive.”
"Love + Kindness = Hope" by Author: Rhonda CarrimHope. We need it like we need air. Hope is essential to sustain us in the midst of devastation and uncertainty.
Exiled in Babylon, the word of the Lord came to the people of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah. Words of reminder and promise breathed hope into their devastation and uncertainty. The people were reminded that the Lord’s “everlasting love” and “unfailing kindness” had not ended. With imagery reminiscent of the exodus from Egypt, the Lord promised that again they would take up tambourines (“timbrels”) and dance for joy (Jeremiah 31:4; see Exodus 15:20ff). They would enjoy the fruits of their labor (Jeremiah 31:5) instead of watching others reap what they had sown (see Deuteronomy 28:30, 39). Once again they would gather to worship in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 31:6). Perhaps most miraculous of all, the Lord would restore the broken family of Jacob. The northern kingdom of Israel, defeated and scattered by Assyrians, as wwell as the southern kingdom of JUdah was promised restoration. A hopeful future was predicated on the everlasting love and unfailing kindness of the Lord.
So too for us: Whatever devastation or uncertainty we might face, our hope rests firmly in the Lord’s everlasting love and unfailing kindness.
Hymn for Today: "The Solid Rock" by Edward Mote
1. My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
2. When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
3. His oath, His covenant, His blood
Support me in the whelming flood;
When all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
4. When He shall come with trumpet sound,
Oh, may I then in Him be found;
Dressed in His righteousness alone,
Faultless to stand before the throne.
Thought for Today:"who was guiding them on through human means
with reins made of love.
With them I was like someone removing
the yoke from their jaws,
and I bent down to feed them." Hosea 11:4.
Please pray:
For faculty and students as they prepare for Christian ministry in Trinidad and Tobago.
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