December 2, 2024

Today’s Reading: Jeremiah 33:14-16

Daily Lectionary: Isaiah 8:9-9:7; 1 Peter 4:1-19

“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made… (Jeremiah 33:14)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Every single one of us needs encouragement, especially when things aren’t going well. When life is tough, it’s easy to fall into despair and anxiety, as though all is lost and there is no hope. Sadly, this is part of the human condition: instead of trusting in God’s providence, we worry. That’s how things were for God’s people in the days of Jeremiah. 

The once great nation of Israel was struggling through dark days. The rulers were corrupt, the nation was weak, and the Babylonians were threatening. God’s people were on the cusp of catastrophe, and before Jeremiah’s life ended, the nation fell, and many were forced into exile. Understandably, some wondered whether the Lord had abandoned them.

Jeremiah’s words were spoken to encourage people in dark times. The Lord wanted His people to know that He had not forgotten them. These words not only helped the faithful remnant of Jeremiah’s day, but they have continued to encourage the faithful to this very day. What’s so encouraging about these words?

Jeremiah’s God-given words remind us that God keeps His promises. If God says He will do something, then it is as good as done. The promise Jeremiah wanted the people to recall was God’s promise to send a Messiah from the line of David. Jeremiah tells them this “righteous branch” would “execute justice and righteousness in the land,” and the result would be salvation and security.

Jeremiah pointed ahead to Christ. Several centuries after this prophecy, God indeed sent His Son, the promised Righteous Branch, the Son of David. Christ executed justice and righteousness by being righteous for us. Jesus kept Himself from all sin and then reconciled sinful mankind to our Heavenly Father by dying for our sins on the cross and rising again in victory over the grave. Today, we can look back and see how God kept His promise and how Jeremiah’s words were fulfilled. 

In the same way, when life is overwhelming us with frustrations, failures, and loss, we don’t have to despair because we know God keeps His promises. We can see that looking back in history, but like the faithful in Jeremiah’s day, we can also look ahead to what’s to come. Jesus also spoke encouraging promises of what He will do: He will rescue us from death and raise us on the Last Day. He assures us that because He lives, we, too, will live. And even now, Jesus promises He will give rest from burdens and true joy to all who follow Him. So take heart and be of good cheer because when Jesus promises something, it’s as good as done!

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Lord God, I know you keep your promises. Forgive me for my doubts and worries, and help me to trust. By the power of the Holy Spirit, fix my eyes on the glories of heaven, which You have promised through Jesus, and guide me all my days on earth. Amen.

-Rev. Joel Shaltanis, pastor of Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Plano, TX.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

What makes a church “good?” Come join the fictional family as they test out eight different churches in their brand-new town and answer this question along the way. Will the Real Church Please Stand Up? by Matthew Richard, now available from Concordia Publishing House.