Jeremiah 33:3 - Prayer Brings Peace And Power!
Jeremiah 33:3 - Prayer Brings Peace And Power!
Jeremiah 33:3 (HCSB) Call to Me and I will answer you and tell
you great and wondrous things you do not know.
Jeremiah 33:3 (MsgB) Call to me and I will answer you. I'll tell
you marvelous and wondrous things that you could never figure out on
your own.
INTRODUCTION
As the city of Jerusalem and the king of Judah were falling
to invaders, God gave Jeremiah a greater understanding of his
long-range plan. The promises could only come true after the promised
destruction. The hope of the nation was not to be found in escape from
destruction but in the purification that destruction would bring. God would
restore Jerusalem because it was part of his ultimate plan. The
Babylonian disaster did not change God's purposes for his people. Although
Jerusalem would be destroyed, God would restore it again. The Lord
promised to cleanse and forgive all their sins of rebellion. This was the
foundation upon which the new, everlasting covenant would rest.
God has promised you forgiveness and cleansing, just as he
promised the people of Israel. His purpose might require you to go
through difficulty, but you can trust that he will use it for your good.
Suffering faithfully will bring you through to "peace and prosperity" in
his eternal Kingdom. Trust in God to do this for you, and don't give
up in despair or turn away from Him in anger. He is faithful, and
he always does everything that he promises. [One Year NLT SB re
Jer. 33:1-9]
COMMENTARY
God's Phone Number
This text is a special blessing to anyone going through
affliction.
Jeremiah is in prison under false charges (Jer. 37:11-15).
God visits Jeremiah in his hour of need. This is the second time God
visited Jeremiah in prison. During this time, God gives him this great
prayer promise. I like to think of Jeremiah 33:3 as God's phone
number.
Have you ever had to DIAL 911? During an emergency you dial
911 and you are instantly connected to a dispatcher. In front of the
dispatcher will be a read-out that lists your telephone number, your
address, and the name by which that telephone number is listed at that
address. Also listening in are the police, the fire department, and the
paramedics.
A caller might not be able to say what the problem is. Or
perhaps a woman's husband has just suffered a heart attack, and she is
so out of control that all she can do is hysterically scream into
the telephone. But the dispatcher doesn't need her to say anything.
He knows where the call is coming from. Help is already on the
way.
There are times in our lives when in our desperation and pain
we dial Jeremiah 33:3 prayers. Sometimes we're hysterical.
Sometimes we don't know the words to speak. But God knows. He knows our
name, where we are at and what our circumstance is. Help is on the
way; God has already begun to bring the remedy.
I. The PERSON we call - "Call unto me..." (cf. v. 2).
A. The One who has FOUNDED us.
B. The One who has FRAMED us.
C. The One who has FIXED us. He has established us. God has
got you right where He wants you. God knew where Jeremiah was!
II. The PROMISE confirmed - "...I will answer thee..."
A. The love of God promises what is best for us.
B. The wisdom of God perceives what is best for us.
C. The power of God performs what is best for us.
ILLUS.--While crossing the Atlantic on an oceanliner, the great
preacher F.B. Meyer was asked to deliver a message to the passengers on
"Answered Prayer." An agnostic who was present at the service was asked by
his friends, "What did you think of Dr. Meyer's sermon?" He
answered, "I didn't believe a word of it."
That afternoon the agnostic put two oranges in his pocket
before going for a stroll on the deck. On his way he passed an elderly
woman sitting in her deck chair fast asleep. In the spirit of fun, the
agnostic put the two oranges in her lap. Later as he passed her way, he
saw her happily eating one of the oranges."You seem to be enjoying
that orange," he remarked with a smile. "Yes, sir," she replied, "My
Father gave them to me." "Your father? Surely your father can't be
still alive!" "Praise God," she replied, "He is very much alive."
"What do you mean?" pressed the agnostic. She explained, "I'll tell
you, sir. I have been seasick for days. I was asking my heavenly
Father to somehow to send me an orange. I fell asleep while I was
praying. When I awoke, I found He had not only sent me one orange but
two!" The agnostic was speechless.
III. The PROVISION conferred - "...and shew thee great and mighty
things..." (cf. 32:16-18)
A. Great counsel.
B. Mighty works.
Reader's Digest (7/97 p. 20) gives the following example of an
answer to prayer: Late on a black, noiseless night in upstate New York,
a young woman decided to take a shortcut home--up a steep, unlit
path. Then she heard steps behind her, faster than her own. An instant
later a man was upon her, tightening her scarf around her neck and
ripping at her pants.
At home the young woman's mother woke from a deep sleep,
seized with fear that something terrible was about to happen to her
daughter. The mother immediately knelt down beside her bed and prayed. For
15 minutes she begged God to protect her daughter. Convinced she
had won God's protection, the mother returned to a sound sleep. Back
on the stony path, the would-be rapist suddenly ceased his assault.
He cocked his head--almost beast-like--and fled down the hill.
Coincidence? Luck? Or divine intervention? Nearly 20 years
later mother and daughter are certain in their belief. That was the
devil on the hill, and it was God who sent him away!
IV. The PLENTEOUS climax "...which thou knowest not." - Expect the
unexpected! God always exceeds our request!
Vs. 4-5-- Sometimes God must tear down and destroy, before He
can heal and rebuild.
A. Health and cure (33:6).
B. Liberation from captivity (33:7).
C. Cleansing from iniquity (33:8).
D. Prosperity and praise (33:9-11)
E. Promise of the Messiah (33:14-17)
CONCLUSION: Sir Walter Raleigh asked a favor from Queen
Elizabeth. She answered him, "Raleigh, when will you leave off begging?" He
answered, "When your Majesty leaves off giving!"
http://www.avhughes.com/images/godphone.html
Hearing God's Voice
Call to me and I will answer you and will tell you great and
hidden things that you have not known. (Jeremiah 33:3)
Last summer, I traveled into Chicago by train from my home
west of the city. On the way, I didn't notice the clickety-clack of
the tracks because I was engrossed in thought about hearing God's
voice. The following ideas came to me; I wrote them down, and I'd like
to share them with you. I hope you are encouraged.
If we know about God without being connected to God,
Christianity will seem flat and empty, like it isn't real or authentic.
Christians may seem like they are faking it, because at some level we are
faking it; we aren't living in authentic relationship with Christ and
we project onto the body of Christ what we feel ourselves. And
speaking of relationship, that's something I have been thinking about,
too. In Christian circles, we throw the word "relationship" around a
lot. Don't get me wrong, being a Christian is about relationship.
"I am the vine and you are the branches" (John 15:5).
But I find it so interesting that we can say we have a
relationship with Jesus, but rarely talk with Him, and maybe even more rarely
listen to Him. That would be like a woman saying she has a relationship
with her husband but she rarely speaks to him and doesn't listen to a
word he says. That's not a relationship. What we need is a
redefinition of relationship with Christ. And part of that definition
involves listening. Which, I might add, is very exciting.
I can't think of anything in life more thrilling than hearing
the tender, sometimes convicting, always life-giving voice of God. I
am not talking about a big, booming voice that comes out of the
heavens. But instead, a still, small voice that meets you in your quiet
place as you read His Word and listen for Him. Those moments are some
of the most amazing times anyone can experience in life. Personal
connection with the Living God! Frankly, there is nothing better. Are you
listening?
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
. ." (John 10:27)
Prayer:"Lord, sometimes it's hard to imagine that the Lord of
the universe wants to speak with me, but you do! Please help me
learn how to hear you better and help me to listen expectantly for
your voice.
Application: Hearing God often requires stillness. Get alone
with God in a quiet place today, read His Word, pray and write down
what He reveals to you. by Shana Schutte. [Wisdom Hunters
Devotional]
Usually we approach God with words, most often in the form of
requests. And He loves to receive them. But the relationship is meant to
be more diverse than that. If we seek His voice, we will be able to
hear it.
The possibility of hearing God's voice with reasonable
certainty troubles many Christians. Some are worried that it undermines
Scripture (which, by the way, gives example after example of people
hearing God's voice), while others are convinced they can't hear Him
speak. In most cases, those who haven't heard Him haven't asked
questions with an expectation that He will answer them. And most haven't
sat in His Presence for extended periods of time and focused their
minds on Him.
Both practices - asking with expectation and waiting for His
voice - are prerequisites for hearing Him consistently. As in any
relationship, hearing occurs only when we listen. Answers come only when we
ask for them. He speaks to those who tune their hearing to Him.
Hear Him speaking now: "Come, sit in My Presence. Ask Me
questions. Quietly wait and see what answers rise up from My Spirit within
you. I am 'the Word': how could I be silent with those I love? I want
a deep relationship with you, and all relationships involve
communication. Listen for My voice, and I will speak."
Ask God questions and sit quietly in His Presence, waiting
for answers. See what thoughts rise up within you. You may be
surprised by how profound "you" have become - and you'll know He has
whispered in the depths of your spirit.
Father, I want to hear You. I'm asking You to speak in a way
I can understand. I know I may make mistakes and mishear You
sometimes, but I trust You to gently correct me and teach me. I need to
know Your voice. [The One Year Experiencing God's Presence Devotional
by Chris Tiegreen]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
I am able to do far beyond all that you ask or imagine. Come
to Me with positive expectations, knowing that there is no limit to
what I can accomplish. Ask My Spirit to control your mind, so that
you can think great thoughts of Me. Do not be discouraged by the
fact that many of your prayers are yet unanswered. Time is a trainer,
teaching you to wait upon Me, to trust Me in the dark. The more extreme
your circumstances, the more likely you are to see My Power and Glory
at work in the situation. Instead of letting difficulties draw you
into worrying, try to view them as setting the scene for My glorious
intervention. Keep your eyes and your mind wide open to all that I am doing in
your life.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we
ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to
him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all
generations, for ever and ever! Amen. (Rom. 8:6; Isa. 40:30-31; Rev. 5:13)
[Jesus Calling by Sarah Young]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE:
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2009/20091019-2255.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2005/20050729-0707.html
CURRENTLY LIVE BIBLE STUDY SERIES BY PASTOR JOHN BRADSHAW [Live
Streaming & Archives]
Revelation Today - The Mysteries Revealed:
https://revelationtoday.com/other-streams/
