We’ve been looking deeper this week at Jeremiah 32: 1-15; 36-44 as well at what the concept of being a prophet was and is.  Yes, there are still prophets today, there are those folks that have a specific calling to speak God’s word, but there are also moments in all of our lives, where each of us, who have the Holy Spirit within us, can feel the call of God to speak directly in a certain moment.  We all can have prophetic moments.

Today we are looking at the World in Front of the Text.  What can this passage mean for us today in the living of our lives?

When we look at the first part of the passage, what do we see?  Well, we see Jeremiah basically in prison. Why?  He has done what God has called him to do. He has spoken the word that God has called him to speak, and what has happened?  He was punished. He was thrown in jail.  He suffered.  For doing right.  For doing what God wanted.  Sometimes doing what God calls us to do isn’t always easy (that’s not a shock) and sometimes doing what God wants us to do will even result in a more difficult moment in life.  Jeremiah did right.  He was obedient.  And he was thrown in jail.  If we focus on what is easy we may not focus on being obedient.

Well, goodness.  If we do right and suffer, then maybe we should just ignore God’s voice and choose the easy path.  That seems like a lot more fun, right?  Well, no.  If you have ever truly heard God’s voice on something, or truly felt called by God to do something, you know that you can’t simply ignore that voice.  You have to follow.  You must.  Even if it is hard, you must.  I know there’s been times in my life, nothing ever as bad as Jeremiah, where I wish God would have given me an easier option. But He didn’t.  So, I had to obey.

Why does God call us to things like that? Remember, we don’t live for ourselves. We live for God and for others.  Sometimes we are called to the right hard thing for someone else’s benefit.   Maybe the will see our obedience and will obey when they have a difficult choice.  We never know the impact of our actions and how what we do for God can greatly affect someone else’s life.  We never truly know. That is why we have faith.

That’s why the second part of this passage is the true point. The point is not the Jeremiah is in prison. The point is this.  Jerusalem is going to be destroyed. The people hauled away. It’s going to be bad.  So what else does God call Jeremiah to do?  Buy a field.  Because God is not done yet with His people. They will return. They will plant in this spot again.  They will be restored.  Have faith.  Have hope.  God is not finished just yet.

That was the true point of what Jeremiah had to say. Have faith.  God is not finished. But don’t just have “faith” in a general sense, have faith in this moment.  Have faith in a tangible sense.  It’s easy to say, yeah, sure, I believe that God is at work, but it’s another thing to commit.  To buy a field.

We need to buy a field. We need to commit.  To commit to what God is doing.  Commit with our service. With our presence. With our giving.  With our whole lives. We need to dig in deep in this moment that  God is calling us to.  Jeremiah had faith that God was not done.  So, he bought that field.

What about us?  Do we have faith that God is not done?  Have we bought a field?

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