Jeremiah 31:27-28
“‘Be ready. The time’s coming’—GOD’s Decree—’when I will plant people and animals in Israel and Judah, just as a farmer plants seed. And in the same way that earlier I relentlessly pulled up and tore down, took apart and demolished, so now I am sticking with them as they start over, building and planting.’”
“‘The day is coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will greatly increase the human population and the number of animals here in Israel and Judah. In the past I deliberately uprooted and tore down this nation. I overthrew it, destroyed it, and brought disaster upon it. But in the future I will just as deliberately plant it and build it up. I, the Lord, have spoken!’”
The Lord is a restorer. For centuries mankind viewed the natural world with reverence. The land gave when it was respected. Then came the dominion mandate and the industrial revolution. Greed entered. Now our climate is going haywire, and we reap the consequences of our corporate sin. God restored the ravaged land for returning Israel’s benefit. He can do the same for our tired world. It seems impossible the entire globe would see the error of our collective misuse of our precious earth. But with God all things are possible. So, I will pray for conviction and restoration. Perhaps God may hear from heaven and grant us reprieve.
Lord, forgive me for my share in our beloved earth’s decline. I’ve been lazy at times, abusing the throw away and temporary. I’ve driven when I could have walked. I’ve wasted when I could have conserved. Show me how to respect your creation more fully. Convict all of us how we can change. Give us a heart that wants to.