Jeremiah 25:3-5
“From the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah right up to the present day—twenty-three years it’s been!—GOD’s Word has come to me, and from early each morning to late every night I’ve passed it on to you. And you haven’t listened to a word of it! Not only that but GOD also sent a steady stream of prophets to you who were just as persistent as me, and you never listened. They told you, ‘Turn back—right now, each one of you!—from your evil way of life and bad behavior, and live in the land GOD gave you and your ancestors, the land he intended to give you forever.”
“For the past twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah, until now—the LORD has been giving me his messages. I have faithfully passed them on to you, but you have not listened. Again and again the LORD has sent you his servants, the prophets, but you have not listened or even paid attention. Each time the message was this: ‘Turn from the evil road you are traveling and from the evil things you are doing. Only then will I let you live in this land that the LORD gave to you and your ancestors forever.’”
It is easy to forget the momentous changes we read about in history occurred not convulsively, but along with everyday life. Jeremiah counts his years of faithful prophesy and confirms there were others preaching God’s warning words at the same time. Judah had notice and time to change but any resolution to do so broke as waves upon the shore of ordinary life and its routines. God calls us to maintain our alertness amidst the everyday, always watching to see how he moves the world according to his ultimate purpose. He gives us scripture for a map so we may see the lay of the land. His warnings are there for those who watch and listen.
Lord, help me to faithfully watch and listen to you. This watching is something I can do, though an invalid. Give me wisdom in the practice of it. Give me gentleness and grace in transmitting your words, all and only for you.