“Now when I had delivered the purchase deed to Baruch the son of Neriah, I prayed to the LORD, saying: 17 ‘Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. 18 You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts. 19 You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for Your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings. 20 You have set signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, to this day, and in Israel and among other men; and You have made Yourself a name, as it is this day. 21 You have brought Your people Israel out of the land of Egypt with signs and wonders, with a strong hand and an outstretched arm, and with great terror; 22 You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them—“a land flowing with milk and honey.”[b] 23 And they came in and took possession of it, but they have not obeyed Your voice or walked in Your law. They have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have caused all this calamity to come upon them.
24 ‘Look, the siege mounds! They have come to the city to take it; and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword and famine and pestilence. What You have spoken has happened; there You see it! 25 And You have said to me, O Lord GOD, “Buy the field for money, and take witnesses”!—yet the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans.’”
God’s Assurance of the People’s Return
26 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?Dear Suzanne, Rebecca, Anna and Mikayla,
Here in Chapter 32 of the Book of Jeremiah God tells the prophet to buy a piece of land located outside of Jerusalem that had been captured by the enemy as an assurance to the people that God would bring them back from Babylon. . Not only is the land under siege and occupied by enemy soldiers, but Jeremiah is also a prisoner in King Zedekiah palace. In fact, he is in prison because of this very prophecy. Now this was obviously not looking like the best investment for Jeremiah to be making. Jeremiah, however, obeyed God and by faith believed the word of the Lord that his countrymen would be brought back into the land from the Babylonian captivity.
It is clear this was not an easy thing for Jeremiah to do. Trusting God at times is not easy. Sometimes after we do something that we know the Lord has asked us to do, especially when it might be viewed as foolish in the eyes of others, we begin to question our judgment and wisdom. This is what is happening here to Jeremiah regarding the land purchase.
So what does Jeremiah do when he is faced with his own fear and doubt. He, by faith, begins to extol and adore His Lord acknowledging Him as the Creator of heaven and earth and the One who can solve any problem. Nothing is too hard for Him. The Lord is righteous and extends grace and judgment perfectly. He is great and works great things. He is omnipotent, omnipresent, and omniscient. The Lord is glorious and terrifying and humbling. And yet God's people did not obey Him and therefore God has caused this calamity to come upon them. Look at verses 24 and 25. Here is where Jeremiah finally comes to the real reason for his prayer....to question God's judgment in regard to the land deal. It is not a bad thing to pour your heart out before the Lord and question what he is doing as long as you do not presume you know better. Look at how the Lord answers. Ha! He takes a page out of Jeremiah's book and says, [I'm] the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for me? Remember how Jeremiah started his prayer? Jeremiah says, "Lord, You are God. There's nothing too hard for You." And God is reminding him of his own words here and says, "Is there anything too hard for Me?" I love the Lord's sense of humor. So often I need to be reminded of the very same thing.
That is the application for me and for you. You know, I say a lot of things that I think come from a heart of faith. In reality, however, most of the time I need God's constant reminder to me of His faithfulness and power. Really, is there anything too hard for the Lord? Jeremiah did the right thing because he sought relief in prayer from his nagging doubts. It helps us when we begin to doubt to focus and meditate on what we know about our Lord. Let's cry out to the Lord like the Dad in the Gospel of Mark 9. "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
John 13:7 Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this."
Romans 11:33-34 Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! "FOR WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD? OR WHO HAS BECOME HIS COUNSELOR?"
When you think your situation is impossible and need to be reminded of who the Lord is, meditate on one or two of these verses.
Genesis 18:14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
Job 42:2 "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You.
Luke 1:37 For with God nothing will be impossible."
Luke 18:27 But He said, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."
Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
Isaiah 46:10 Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, 'My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,'
Daniel 2:22 He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness, And light dwells with Him.
Acts 15:18 "Known to God from eternity are all His works.
26 Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“ My way is hidden from the LORD,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:26-31
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing.
27 Why do you say, O Jacob,
And speak, O Israel:
“ My way is hidden from the LORD,
And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
28 Have you not known?
Have you not heard?
The everlasting God, the LORD,
The Creator of the ends of the earth,
Neither faints nor is weary.
His understanding is unsearchable.
29 He gives power to the weak,
And to those who have no might He increases strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
And the young men shall utterly fall,
31 But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:26-31
Love
Mom
