“Obey the LORD by doing what I tell you. Then it will go well with you and your life will be spared.” (Jeremiah 38:20, NIV)
The waning days of Judah were painfully hard to watch. Certainly this was so for Jeremiah, the prophet whose main assignment was to warn the king and his people that the end was coming. Babylon would break the nation’s back, destroying temple, palace, and walls, and carting off all but the poorest into exile.
The visions were undeniable and the realities that ensued reduced Jeremiah to the weeping of deep lamentation.
But for Zedekiah the king, they were words he refused to heed. In the end, we are told, “he became stiff-necked and hardened his heart and would not turn to the LORD, the God of Israel” (2 Chronicles 36:13).
Pray that this son, this daughter, this parent, this friend, whoever it is, comes to understand it’s not too late.Before this, however, we read of a secret meeting between Jeremiah and Zedekiah. The king was young, barely 30, when he summoned the prophet. He was also fearful. He had seen a number of his subjects go over to the Babylonians and he dreaded what they might do to him if he were captured. It was here that Jeremiah told the king he would be fine if he did one thing: obey God. If not, the consequence would be personal and severe. It was not too late for Zedekiah to be saved.
I cannot tell you, as was advanced in the midst of bad news yesterday, whether Tiger Woods has hit “rock bottom” or a “new low.” These are expressions we use when we can’t imagine it getting worse. Sadly, sometimes it does.
What I can tell you is this: It’s not too late.
Who are you praying for today? It may be Tiger himself. More likely, it is someone loved who is in a place of danger. They have been presented with two clear options. Life in Christ, held by grace and promised eternity. Or life on our own terms, every lasting consequence included. To date, they have clung to the latter.
Pray that this son, this daughter, this parent, this friend, whoever it is, comes to understand it’s not too late.
The stunning promise of God to the Babylonian exiles through Jeremiah was this:
“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, “and will bring you back from captivity.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13)
Pray that this truth would be applied to Tiger Woods. Pray that it would be applied to anyone else you wish to name. One last time: It’s not too late.
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Jeff Hopper
May 30, 2017
Copyright 2017 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.