Am I not everywhere?

This is the question God posed to the Israelites in the midst of their darkest period. The Babylonians were on the verge of invading the Holy Land. God's prophet, Jeremiah, warned the people of the preeminent doom, yet they refused to listen. Rather, the people turned their ears and attention to the false prophets who spoke soft words and filled their ears with promise. If you know the history of Israel at all you know the outcome, and these prophets indeed proved themselves to be false. The Holy Land was devastated, most everyone was killed, and the few who remained were carried away as slaves. In Jeremiah 23:29 the Lord also asks, "Does not my word burn like fire? Is it not like a mighty hammer that smashes a rock to pieces?"

At this point, you may be asking yourself what kind of loving God is this? The very reason we ask this shows our human ignorance. The Israelite thought the same thing. Surely, God will not destroy us. He is far too loving and kind for that, and after all we are His chosen people. So instead of fearing God and tuning in their ears to His warning, which would have lead to repentance and deliverance, they chose the soft words of the false prophets instead of the rock smashing words of the Lord. The Lord asks in Jeremiah 23: 24, "Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?" We who grew up in the church, like myself, learned in Sunday school that God is everywhere but I have found in my adult life this is not always the easiest thing to believe. If I really believed it then perhaps I would walk more closely with him throughout my busy day and allow Him to be a part of the small details and decisions of my life.

How foolish this is! God does not sit far away in heaven occasionally looking down at me. He is right here! Right now! Lord lead my heart to believe, and remember this always. At times, I am like the people of Israel. I prefer not to hear the words of the Lord because His word smashes my plans and desires. The Lord's words may be harsh at times and smash us like a hammer, but we should never doubt His love and ultimately His sovereign nature. The Lord's words save us from destruction, give us life, and lead us to the best possible outcomes. Even if we cannot immediately see this we have to learn to truly, actually live by this fact. If we do not learn from history we repeat it. Let us, me, not be like the Israelites and ignore the very words that would have saved them from destruction and instead choosing to listen to what sounds good and what is popular. 

This is my first post and serves as the official beginning to my blog. The main function of this blog is to lead me into a deeper relationship with my Lord so that I may hear Him more clearly and love Him more adequately. If you happen to stumble across this I pray the same for will be done for you.