Jeremiah's Prayer

"Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them—the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the Lord of hosts.

"You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways...

"You have given them this land, of which You swore to their fathers to give them—“a land flowing with milk and honey.

And they came in and took possession of it, but they have not obeyed Your voice or walked in Your law. They have done nothing of all that You commanded them to do; therefore You have caused all this calamity to come upon them. Look, the siege mounds! They have come to the city to take it; and the city has been given into the hand of the Chaldeans who fight against it, because of the sword and famine and pestilence. What You have spoken has happened; there You see it!" Jeremiah 32:17-24

"Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying,

'Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? ... Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the Chaldeans, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he shall take it. And the Chaldeans who fight against this city shall come and set fire to this city and burn it, with the houses on whose roofs they have offered incense to Baal and poured out drink offerings to other gods, to provoke Me to anger; because the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only evil before Me from their youth.

For the children of Israel have provoked Me only to anger with the work of their hands... so I will remove it from before My face because of all the evil of the children of Israel and the children of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me to anger—they, their kings, their princes, their priests, their prophets, the men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And they have turned to Me the back, and not the face; though I taught them, rising up early and teaching them, yet they have not listened to receive instruction. But they set their abominations in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. ...

“Now therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning this city of which you say, ‘It shall be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence’:

"Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul.

“For thus says the Lord: ‘Just as I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will bring on them all the good that I have promised them. Jeremiah 32:26-44

We need to learn from history. God's people had lost their land and freedom because they disobeyed God and participated in the spreading corruption. Similar conditions have corrupted nations and devastated people whenever and wherever God's people chose to conform to the world, rejecting -- willingly or in ignorance -- the wisdom of the only King who can bring genuine peace and triumph.

End time events fit the same Biblical patterns demonstrated in Old Testament history. Then as now, those who turned from truth to “other gods,” faced devastating consequences. The book of Judges shows the oft-repeated cycle: