Today we’ll look at Jeremiah 3: 12-18:

12Go, and proclaim these words toward the north, and say: Return, faithless Israel, says the Lord . I will not look on you in anger, for I am merciful, says the Lord ; I will not be angry forever. 13Only acknowledge your guilt, that you have rebelled against the Lord your God, and scattered your favors among strangers under every green tree, and have not obeyed my voice, says the Lord . 14Return, O faithless children, says the Lord , for I am your master; I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion. 15I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16And when you have multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the Lord , they shall no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord .” It shall not come to mind, or be remembered, or missed; nor shall another one be made. 17At that time Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord , and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they shall no longer stubbornly follow their own evil will. 18In those days the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land of the north to the land that I gave your ancestors for a heritage.

Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet. Much of his prophecy in this book is sad and quite tragic. He also wrote the book of Lamentations, which is just that, a book of lamentations over what has happened at the fall of Jerusalem. It is a heartbreaking book.

That is why this passage is so encouraging. We are told that the people will see better days. The days that they are going through are tough and challenging, yes, but they will see better days. Things will get better. The clouds will break, and the sun will come out again. It will get better.

When things are hard, it is difficult to believe that. When the rain never stops, and the wind won’t die down, it is hard to believe that. The people are tempted to believe that only punishment will come. They will never see grace again. That is what the context they are going through is tempting them to believe.

That is why today’s reading is so encouraging. It will get better. God’s plans are good, and He will bring us to something better. It will get better.

Today, if you are going through a rough season, don’t give up. Don’t quit. It will get better. It will. God is always at work, even if we don’t believe it, even if we don’t feel it, and even if we don’t think it. God is always bringing about something good. That is what He does.

Today, the weeping prophet tells the people that better days are coming.

Today, even if you are in tears, better days are coming. That is what God does. You can trust that; you can believe that. Better days are coming.

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