Jeremiah 42:1-7
Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— 3 that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” 4 Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us. 6 Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.” 7 At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.
The people asked Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord what they should do. The surprising thing to me is that Jeremiah waited 10 days before getting direction from the Lord (verse 7). Ten days is a long time to wait. I'd be tempted to give up and do my own thing after an hour; certainly after a day I'd figure God just wasn't speaking. It is hard to wait, so it is tempting to just move ahead and do what "feels right". But this impatience can also lead to sin. Purity involves waiting, trusting that God intends good for us if we just wait for His timing.
Lord, help me to patiently wait for Your timing.
Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— 3 that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.” 4 Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us. 6 Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.” 7 At the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.
The people asked Jeremiah to inquire of the Lord what they should do. The surprising thing to me is that Jeremiah waited 10 days before getting direction from the Lord (verse 7). Ten days is a long time to wait. I'd be tempted to give up and do my own thing after an hour; certainly after a day I'd figure God just wasn't speaking. It is hard to wait, so it is tempting to just move ahead and do what "feels right". But this impatience can also lead to sin. Purity involves waiting, trusting that God intends good for us if we just wait for His timing.
Lord, help me to patiently wait for Your timing.