MY SOUL! MY SOUL!
Suggested Reading: Jeremiah 3-4
Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).
You can still see the enormous cut rocks that were thrown down onto the street from the upper walls of the Temple Mount by the Roman soldiers in 70 AD.
GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.
Key Verses: Jeremiah 3:14a, 4:19a
“Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you…”
…O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me…
In today’s Bible reading, the word, “BACKSLIDING” is repeated four times, and the word “RETURN” five times. Taking note of significant words repeated over and over lets us know what the writer is trying to emphasize for our benefit! God’s message to the backslider is “RETURN!” Ask ourselves this question and let’s make it personal: “Have I ever loved and served God in the past more than I do today?” If so, “RETURN.”
Jeremiah, in our key verses, expresses the heart pain that God feels – the pain of a parent rejected by his children, the pain of a husband who truly loves his bride and wife, but has been rejected in favour of other lovers. Some who read this may have experienced such pain, which is not only crushing emotionally but also produces devastating mental anguish and even has negative physical effects. As a prophet, Jeremiah represents God and is feeling a measure of God’s pain. As a priest, he represents the human family before God in intercession. He identifies with the pain of our separation from God. We are beginning to understand why Jeremiah is called “The Weeping Prophet.”
PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, my eternal loving heavenly Father, I return to You to run into Your loving arms which are wide open and waiting for me to come closer than ever. Lord God, You have described Yourself as my lover/spouse. I do love You with all my heart. Give me grace to be 100% true to You at all times. Forgive me of my backsliding. Thank You for promising Your willingness to forgive and restore. I pray these mercies through Jesus Christ, the One who never backslid and, therefore, never needed to return. Amen!!!
100 PERSONAL WORDS:
The person who loves the most is most deeply hurt when rejected by the one they love. The mother who has nursed a child at her breast and then lives to be rejected by a son or daughter knows the pain of which Jeremiah writes. The husband or wife who has given themselves totally in love with their spouse and is then rejected knows such deep inner pain, such that it’s impossible to describe in words. I have never felt that rejection personally, but I’ve put my arms around many whose body is wracked with such immeasurable pain. All I could do was to be there as there were no words which I could speak that would be adequate. Surely God, Whose very nature is infinitely loving, must feel this pain much more than man. This is the pain Jesus bore when He suffered on the cross – the pain of rejection, separation and loss. I can’t even begin to imagine His pain. All I can do is cry and say, “I’m here Lord. I’ve returned! I’m determined to move closer to You and not backslide!!!”
Yours for loving God faithfully and showing love for Him by our love for others,
David
In today’s reading, I thought, “depressing.” David’s commentary so sensitively spoke about rejection, painful relationships and backsliding. When committed relationships are broken and the blind will say, “I didn’t even see it coming!” When the “future” can no longer be perceived the same. How our Lord must have felt, so rejected and broken upon the cross!! At times like these we need to echo the words, “we need to talk” with our Father and express our anger and fear, our confusion and despair. Pain associated with backsliding can draw one near in prayer, for continuing to fall in a spiral of despair, is fatal. May we BE there when in need, not with answers but with understanding, a listening ear and empathy. To share the unimposing love of God, our Father. His blessings and strength be yours.
Amen, David. Let us be there in prayer with God but also to be attentive and empathetic with one another. God bless you!
I was rejected as a young child by my birth mother and it wasn’t until I was 12 years of age that I found out what love was. I had never been loved. I had been in foster care and at the age of 12, I was sent to a home to be adopted. It was a loving, Christian home. I experienced for the first time in my life, what the love of a family meant and more important, I experienced the love of Christ and I accepted Him into my heart as my Lord and Saviour and I have never looked back. Oh yes, I have failed many times in my walk with the Lord, but He is always there to pick me up. Praise His Name!!!!
Have a blessed day blog-buddies!!!
Thank God for you, Ruby! You are such a blessing! I am so grateful you were born, were adopted into a loving Christian family and home, came to know and grow in love, and claimed Jesus! Praise God for your adoptive family and the beautiful family you have raised. To think of your grand-babies that have followed, who are being lifted up in prayer, is awe-inspiring! Praise God from whom all blessings flow! What a wonderful testimony–thank you for sharing it so graciously, dear sister-in-Christ!
Thanks for sharing, Ruby! To find your identity in Christ and a loving family, is a blessing beyond measure.
Amen Ruby, what a wonderful testimony of God’s everlasting love. Bless you.
Today’s readings especially were so powerful as God cried out to the people through Jeremiah. As you explained, David Mainse, Jeremiah was a chosen representative and is feeling God’s pain–what a devout servant he was to God. He reminds me so much of Jesus and Paul! Even though the book of Jeremiah is so sad because the people of Israel were so hateful destructive and ungrateful, God keeps calling to them through Jeremiah to “return” to Him. This book may have been about what happened then, and it follows in line historically in the bible, but its message continues to speak clearly, to everyone who reads it, now. We are to return to God when we backslide and reclaim Him. I feel so blessed to learn how deep Jeremiah’s love for God was. To experience the relationship of “The Weeping Prophet” with God through this book has been such a gift of encouragement. Blessings dear saints, on this cold winter day!
What blogs today, David M and David and testimony, Ruby! Yesterday I went out to visit my cousin and when I mentioned about being ready to meet the Lord, he said, “I’m ready.” Although he was in distress, I sensed peace; we had a good talk about his childhood and we prayed together. I left him with a good gospel track by the Sky Family and assurance of prayer for his operation coming up on the 30th of this month. I am so glad we had that time together. Words cannot express the blessing of this reaing and blog David. God bless everyone. It’s cold in NB but no snow for us yet.
Dear David,
If you have had any element of “backsliding” in your personal faith journey, what hope is there for the rest of us? I love your daily commitment to this blog and especially enjoy your “prayer for the day”.
Shalom,
Graham & Vivienne.
2012 Holy Land Yellow Bus.
Amen to Beverlee’s tribute to you Ruby. How lovingly the Lord undertook for you in life and now you have your healthy grandbabies to love and nurture in life. What blessing!
Dear Pastor David,
I just heard that you are now cancer free!! Praise The Lord! Because of my low energry level, I had to apologize that I failed to keep up with your daily 100 word post, since 3 months ago when my doctor said my cancer cells had grown back to pre-chemo size. I was prompted by The Lord to rest more, so I was doing just that. But I was just thinking about you yesterday in my prayers, so I wrote your name down in my prayer list so that I won’t forget. Then this morning I got an email from my friend Allison that The Lord had healed you!! This is wonderful!! We are so happy for you!! Praise The Lord that He is keeping you here for blessing us and many others!!
Love in Christ,
Janet
Thak you for your healing power for all my brothers and sisters that are sick we lay them on the alter and give them to you in Jesus name Amen
Amen!
Dearest Janet, I have wondered how you were and had been continuing in prayer for you.
Rest in The Lord dear sister and it is Wonderful to see your name once again on our blog.
I pray your dear family are well during these old winter days.
We love you Janet and pray The Lord will bring a divine healing in your body, as He has blessed Pastor David.
Amen.
Empathy, the ability to put ourselves into someone’s else’s shoes, and relate to how they are feeling is essential in any relationship. I presently live with someone who has little empathy. No matter how much this person hurts me and no matter how much I have tried to explain why their actions hurt me they just don’t get it. And even when I tried to convey in terms from their own experience, they still cannot see my point of view about anything. It is as if they are the only person in existence and what they think and feel is all that matters.
It is challenging loving someone like that, but because I am in this position, I empathize a lot more with God’s heart. Maybe because most know that God is all powerful, they cannot empathize with Him. They think He has no feelings therefore nothing we do can affect him. But the truth is we are made in God’s image, which means our emotions are too a reflection of God’s being.
And because He wanted to relate with us fully; to prove He does empathize with our lowly estate, He followed us into our humanity in the person of Jesus Christ. God does understand us, and we need to take the time to understand Him. Let us not make our Christian walk a one way street– some of the best moments with God are not when we share our heart with Him, but when we stop and allow Him to share His heart with us.
This ability to empathize with God and well as others, is what intercession depends on– otherwise our prayers become all about us, our needs, our wants and after living with someone who is like that, I strive not to be like that with God.
Is it in our carnal nature to rebel against authority? As children we push the limits of our boundaries – subconsciously seeking and desiring more and more… What can we get away with today… and when we do… gratification does not last… In fact we feel saddened, sometimes dirty and ashamed…
Only through repentance of sin through Christ Jesus and allowing the holy spirit of God that dwells within to fill us with overflowing love, gentleness, kindness, generosity, and a desire to be more Christlike every day… will we make a difference…
In today’s reading of the word, Israel is but a child…
As children, love is what makes all the difference…
Amen!
A listening child …
Amen 🙂
I believe that today’s reading touched something in many hearts today. Most of us know people who are back sliding, are making poor choices, and have turned away from the ones who care the so much for them.
Praying in Jesus Name that He will touch them.
Greetings and prayers to all.
Our family has experienced great pain and sorrow these last two years as our son had backsliden, BUT through much love and prayers from family, church members and the awesome mercy and grace of a Loving Saviour, and his repentance at the cross……..GOD RESTORED HIM and we see His mighty hands guiding and directing. Some of the miracles we have seen are mind boggling, but only OUR LORD is capable of such restoration. Our son has a mental illness but we even see changes there too.
HALLELUJAH to THE MIGHTY KING. Blessings today saints, and while Jeremiah is somewhat depressing we also can rejoice in knowing God waits for our return with forgiveness and open arms.
God bless you, your son, and entire family, dear Catherine!
Dear Rev. David M.
How very powerful todays blog is . Hoping that you are enjoying good weather and a pleasent riding on your motorcycle with Norma-Jean .
Thank you so much Ruby for your uplifting testimony and it is with tears of joy and gratefulness in my heart that I rejoice on your praying with Walter Junior . Thank you Abba , thank you Lord thank you Jesus for making all things possible to You all the Glory , Amen…
Keep all warm , my sisters and brothers in Christ .
Have a blessed day .
xxxx Carole.
Jesus knew rejection from humans – hate and disgust. But He also knew the rejection of His Father God! (my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?). I can’t imagine that at all. There is nothing/no one to hang onto if that was to happen. I can’t imagine that at all.
I have never believed God the Father rejected His Son on the cross, rather I think in that moment, Jesus experience that last human weakness He had to face– Doubt. I think in that moment, Jesus doubted Who His Father Was; His Father’s love; His Father’s goodness. He faced that moment we all do in the midst of extreme difficulties, we doubt God loves us, or that He is even there. After that moment, the Gospel go on to say Jesus said He committed His spirit to His Father– even after questioning the Father’s goodness on the cross, feeling abandoned by His Father, Jesus still chose to remain faithful and commit His spirit to Him, even when He was no longer certain the Father wanted Him. He didn’t reject God back even when He felt God rejected Him. Even in doubt He remain blameless.
Thank you for all your comments to my blog post this morning. It is only by God’s Love & Grace that I am where I am today. I thank Him each and every day. I am truly blessed!!!
How I pray for all the loved ones of the seniors who perished in the fire in Quebec.
Today’s study was great.
Thanks for the explanation David.
Oh, Lynda, my heart feels so sick for all those wonderful seniors who perished in the fire, and their family members. Dear God, we pray for everyone affected by that devastating fire and ask for your healing power to touch and comfort them.