Sometimes the path is crystal-clear, then at other times we have to make our way through uncertainty and fog…

Tuesday morning the men’s group I attend turned our attention to the prophet Jeremiah. Granted, we only concentrated on a few key verses from chapter 29, but we also included a good dose of history so we could understand the words in context.

“Context” is the key idea for the entire Bible-study series we are currently engaged in. We started in Genesis, back in early August, and have been making our way through what I like to call “The Great Arc of the biblical narrative,” dropping in on a different passage every Tuesday morning.

The Bible is not just a collection of religious writings, it is an intimate story that follows the struggles (mostly) and the triumphs (occasionally) of the Hebrew people as they wrestle with their identity as a nation and as people defined by their faith in One God.

So we took a look at how Jeremiah’s book slots into the timeline, and discovered that he was preaching around the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (including Solomon’s temple) around 586 BCE.

The most prominent citizens were carried away to exile in Babylon, and Jeremiah writes them a note of encouragement (Yes, Jeremiah was also a prominent citizen, but Nebuchadnezzar was probably like, “Nope, I don’t think so. Please leave that one back in Jerusalem!”).

We talked about how God invites us to live and we talked about the beautiful declaration of God’s purpose in verse 11, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”‘ Even though God is talking about two or three generations in the future it is a future they can claim… if only they are faithful.

My key take-away:

But the lesson that captured my attention most of all was the powerful truth that, “‘Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,’ declares the Lord…” (verses 12-14).

Not just “seek God” but seek God with all of our heart. Let’s all-cap the key phrase: Seek God WITH ALL OF OUR HEARTS!

How easily I give lip-service to my Creator, and seek God when it is convenient, just a few minutes – or moments – here and there. Where is “all of my heart” in that?

And I thought of Jesus, so often taking time – hours and days – to meditate and pray, often disappearing for days on end, absolutely seeking God with “all of his heart.” If Jesus, already one with God, felt the imperative to seek God in that way then how much more must I?

Praying in the Garden the night before his crucifixion, wrestling with God’s will and purpose with every ounce of strength he had before finally saying, “Yet not my will, but yours be done…”

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. – Luke 22:42-44

So we completed our conversation in the Tuesday morning Bible-study both with the anticipation of “a future and hope” – a promise that is clear, and with the understanding that the best and most beautiful path forward is when we seek God with more intention and focus.

How else could any of us ever say, “Not my will, but yours be done?” – DEREK

the two sets of photos from our Krakow adventure tell the story of “Sometimes the way is cloudy, sometimes the path is clear…”