FAITH CAPSULE: In God’s direction there is no destruction.
Jeremiah 42, 43
It is written, “The Philistines also went and deployed themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. So David inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?” (2 Samuel 5:18-19) The Philistines were set against David and David did not engage them until he inquired of the Lord. It is faith, hope and trust in God to always make a conscious inquire of Him in every step of life. In God’s direction there is life and there is no destruction.
Through Jeremiah, Israelites inquired for direction for a way of escape because of the fear of the Chaldeans attack. They sent Jeremiah the prophet, “Please, let our petition be acceptable to you, and pray for us to the LORD your God, for all this remnant (since we are left but a few of many, as you can see), that the LORD your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing we should do.””(Jeremiah 42:2-3) Jeremiah did as they had requested and the Lord gave the direction, but the remnant made the choice not to go by the direction of God. Has the Lord been speaking direction to you directly or indirectly? When God’s direction is redirected, it leads to nowhere, but destruction. It is one thing to seek God for direction and go by His direction. Also, it is another to seek for His direction and not go by His direction. God’s way (direction) is not man’s direction Isaiah 55:9 testifies to His ways, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” The remnant got direction after sending Jeremiah but they refused to go by Gods direction.
The remnants initially knew what they would do before sending Jeremiah to ask from God. Jeremiah warned them, “Then hear now the word of the LORD, O remnant of Judah! Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: ‘If you wholly set your faces to enter Egypt, and go to dwell there, then it shall be that the sword which you feared shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt; the famine of which you were afraid shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there you shall die.”(Jeremiah 42:15-16) Jeremiah pointed out the reason for asking, or seeking God, for direction and not taking to God’s direction as “wholly setting of eyes on one’s own direction”. The remnants of Judah were running away from war, and failed to listen to God’s word of direction through Jeremiah, as a result, they ended up in self destruction. It is not possible to follow God’s direction and enter into destruction. Allow God’s direction to see you through.
Prayer for today: Ask God for deliverance from every agent of distraction from God’s direction.