Saturday, February 25: Jeremiah 52- A crushing day.

With detail, Jeremiah chronicles the fall and destruction of Jerusalem. As a priest, the heartache from watching the temple be destroyed and the sacred articles carted away was an immense burden to bare. The heart and soul of Jeremiah’s faith was destroyed.  How would sins be atoned for? How would people express their gratitude and thankfulness to the Lord?

Priests, more than anyone, understood that the temple was God’s footstool on earth. God’s presence lived in the temple.  Where would God be now? How would people connect with the Lord? The center of Israel’s faith was destroyed.

I thought about crushing days… days of despair and anguish. This was a national day of despair for all of Israel. Jeremiah witnessed it.

Life has days like this…

Somehow, someway,  God remains present to and with us on those days. God stood with Jeremiah. God’s covenant with His people remained in tact even though the temple was destroyed.

The Lord is there with us in the storms of life. God was with Jeremiah. God was with His people preserving and protecting a remnant. God is with us when pain and heartache and anguish are the stapes of life during those crushing times…

“Hold on,” that’s what I kept hearing. “Hold on!  The Lord is with you during those pain wracked seasons of life. Hold on to the Lord!”

Lord God, as I review my life, I respond ‘Yes, Amen.’ You were there during the dark days. You are there during the dark days and I don’t know how I would survive were it not for You and Your presence during those days.

Thank You for standing beside me. Thank You for providing strength I could not have mustered on my own. Thank You for never leaving nor forsaking me. Praise be to You, Lord God. Through Jesus, I pray. Amen.