Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States - Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" for Monday, 29 December 2014 - Scripture: Jeremiah 31:7-14

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States - Lutheran Seminary's God Pause "Moved by the Promise" for Monday, 29 December 2014 - Scripture: Jeremiah 31:7 Oh yes, God says so:
“Shout for joy at the top of your lungs for Jacob!
    Announce the good news to the number-one nation!
Raise cheers! Sing praises. Say,
    ‘God has saved his people,
    saved the core of Israel.’
8 “Watch what comes next:
“I’ll bring my people back
    from the north country
And gather them up from the ends of the earth,
    gather those who’ve gone blind
And those who are lame and limping,
    gather pregnant women,
Even the mothers whose birth pangs have started,
    bring them all back, a huge crowd!
9 “Watch them come! They’ll come weeping for joy
    as I take their hands and lead them,
Lead them to fresh flowing brooks,
    lead them along smooth, uncluttered paths.
Yes, it’s because I’m Israel’s Father
    and Ephraim’s my firstborn son!
10-14 “Hear this, nations! God’s Message!
    Broadcast this all over the world!
Tell them, ‘The One who scattered Israel
    will gather them together again.
From now on he’ll keep a careful eye on them,
    like a shepherd with his flock.’
I, God, will pay a stiff ransom price for Jacob;
    I’ll free him from the grip of the Babylonian bully.
The people will climb up Zion’s slopes shouting with joy,
    their faces beaming because of God’s bounty—
Grain and wine and oil,
    flocks of sheep, herds of cattle.
Their lives will be like a well-watered garden,
    never again left to dry up.
Young women will dance and be happy,
    young men and old men will join in.
I’ll convert their weeping into laughter,
    lavishing comfort, invading their grief with joy.
I’ll make sure that their priests get three square meals a day
    and that my people have more than enough.’” God’s Decree.[The Message]
I wrote this devotion while typing on my laptop; you are very likely reading it on your computer, smart phone or tablet. Are you like me, always looking at the latest new gadget and wanting to try it out? I fool myself by saying that it is just harmless curiosity, but let's be honest; I am coveting. And let's be even more honest; our desire for such "things" often takes the place of our giving praise for what God has already given me. No, not my gadgets, but food and water, salvation and grace, love and life.
God gives us enough—yet we are never satisfied. God delivers us—yet we feel trapped and scared. God does all for us—and yet it is never enough. All through scripture we are reminded of what God has done, is doing, and will do for us. And what does God desire in return? For us to sing aloud with gladness, to raise shouts praise for the good in our lives, to give thanks for our salvation that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Gracious God, I do not give thanks enough for all you have done for me, for what you are currently encouraging me to be and for what you have promised for me in the future. Forgive me. Indeed I do want to sing praises for your creation, for your abundance, for your love. Provide for me a community that will help me do this. Amen.
Tor Kristian Berg
Pastor, First Lutheran Church
Bothell, Wash. 
Master of Divinity , 1994
Jeremiah 31:7 For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel."
8 See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here.
9 With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
10 Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the coastlands far away; say, "He who scattered Israel will gather him, and will keep him as a shepherd a flock."
11 For the Lord has ransomed Jacob, and has redeemed him from hands too strong for him.
12 They shall come and sing aloud on the height of Zion, and they shall be radiant over the goodness of the Lord, over the grain, the wine, and the oil, and over the young of the flock and the herd; their life shall become like a watered garden, and they shall never languish again.
13 Then shall the young women rejoice in the dance, and the young men and the old shall be merry. I will turn their mourning into joy, I will comfort them, and give them gladness for sorrow.
14 I will give the priests their fill of fatness, and my people shall be satisfied with my bounty, says the Lord.[The Revised Standard Version]
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