God's intention is above all to bless

Friday March 12, 2021

God's intention is above all to bless

“Seek the welfare of the city where I have exiled you and intercede with the Lord on its behalf, because your own welfare is linked to his.” Jeremiah 29. 7

Jesus wept over Jerusalem and the fate that awaited him. God loves all the cities where many of His creatures are crowded ; He would so like to bless all the nations as He had promised Abraham : “All the nations of the earth will be blessed in your offspring, because you have obeyed me” (Genesis 22. 18). The prophet Jeremiah wrote a letter, inspired by God, which he sent to the exiled Jews during the first deportation. In this letter God is addressing those whom He has sent far from Jerusalem, to set them apart and save them from the terrible ordeal He would later inflict upon His disobedient people, by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, culminating with the sack of Jerusalem and its destruction. What is He telling them ? To pray for the prosperity of Babylon ! An important lesson for us today : Like the Jews exiled in Mesopotamia, we are strangers on this land, but God also asks us to pray for the prosperity and well-being of the nations in which we live ! The covid-19 pandemic that has swept the earth, curtailing our freedoms, splitting united communities in two, isolating fragile individuals and families, has created a wave of fear that our governments have shamelessly rode on. Precisely the opposite of what the Gospel promises us : “For it is not a spirit of timidity that God has given us, but a spirit of strength, love and wisdom” (2 Timothy 1. 7). Because God prefers to bless than to punish and often His blessing towards others goes through us. Solomon wrote : “The city prospered by the blessing of the upright” (Proverbs 11:11). Remember the words of blessing God taught Aaron : “May the Lord bless you and keep you ! May the Lord make his face shine on you and grant you his grace ! May the Lord turn to you and give you peace” (Numbers 6. 24-26). He's the same yesterday, today, and forever, and His desire is to bless you !

Source (His Word for Today)