Listen to God's Word and Fast
Scripture Passage: Jeremiah 36:1-10 (NASB)
1 In the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Take a scroll and write on it all the words which I have spoken to you concerning Israel, Judah, and all the nations, from the day I first spoke to you, from the days of Josiah, even to this day. 3 Perhaps the house of Judah will listen to all the disaster which I plan to carry out against them, so that every person will turn from his evil way; then I will forgive their wrongdoing and their sin.”
4 Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at the dictation of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord which He had spoken to him. 5 Jeremiah then commanded Baruch, saying, “I am restricted; I cannot go into the house of the Lord. 6 So you go and read from the scroll, which you have written at my dictation, the words of the Lord to the people at the Lord’s house on a day of fasting. And you shall also read them to all the people of Judah who come from their cities. 7 Perhaps their pleading will come before the Lord, and everyone will turn from his evil way; for great is the anger and the wrath that the Lord has pronounced against this people.” 8 So Baruch the son of Neriah acted in accordance with all that Jeremiah the prophet commanded him, reading from the book the words of the Lord in the Lord’s house.
9 Now in the fifth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah, in the ninth month, all the people in Jerusalem and all the people who came from the cities of Judah to Jerusalem proclaimed a fast before the Lord. 10 Then Baruch read to all the people from the book the words of Jeremiah in the house of the Lord in the chamber of Gemariah the son of Shaphan the scribe, in the upper courtyard, at the entry of the New Gate of the Lord’s house.
SUMMARY
Jeremiah commands Baruch to go into the house of the Lord and read from the scroll that has the words of the Lord written on it. Baruch reads the scroll to the people of Judah on the day of fasting when everyone is present. Jeremiah hoped that the people of Judah would turn from their evil ways and realize that the Lord's anger was great against them. In response to hearing the words, the people of Judah proclaimed a fast before the Lord.
REFLECTION
Many times I hear God's word through the Bible or through my time in prayer. I do try and apply what I have learned or what I feel like God is prompting me to do, but many times the change is short lived. I think this is because I am so used to comfort that it is easy to turn back to my old habits or ways that are convenient for me and do not require a sacrifice on my part. However, I see that the people of Judah responded by fasting because they chose to abstain from food as a sign of repentance and change. I realized that in order to have change in my life and to turn to God's way of doing things, it requires discomfort and for me to let go of the comforts that I am used to.
APPLICATION
Lately, I have been having trouble spending time with God because I have been going on my phone after work. I waste a lot of time looking at social media or videos when I know I haven't spent time with God that day, and have other responsibilities to take care of after work. Instead of going on my phone, I will remember that God wants me to spend my time wisely and that everything I do should be for His glory. I will be more intentional with my spare time and give it to God and fast social media for a week.
PRAYER
Dear God, I pray that as I fast social media that you would help me to form good habits and to turn to you and your word instead. I pray that I would heed your word and prioritize my day well and that my time and priorities would also be an act of worship and service to you as well.
Amen!
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