Listen:

Jeremiah 3:6-14

During the rule of King Josiah, the Lord said to me: Have you noticed what unfaithful Israel has done? She’s gone about looking for lovers on top of every high hill and under every lush tree. I thought that after she had done all this she would return to me, but she didn’t. Her disloyal sister Judah saw this. She also saw that I sent unfaithful Israel away with divorce papers because of all her acts of unfaithfulness; yet disloyal sister Judah was not afraid but kept on playing the prostitute. She didn’t think twice about corrupting the land and committing adultery with stone and tree. Yet even after all this, disloyal sister Judah didn’t return to me with all her heart but only insincerely, declares the Lord. Then the Lord said to me: Unfaithful Israel is less guilty than disloyal Judah.

Go proclaim these words to the north and say:

Return, unfaithful Israel,

declares the Lord.

I won’t reject you,

for I’m faithful,

declares the Lord;

I won’t stay angry forever.

Only acknowledge your wrongdoing:

how you have rebelled against the Lord your God,

and given yourself to strangers

under every lush tree

and haven’t obeyed me,

declares the Lord.

Return, rebellious children,

declares the Lord,

for I’m your husband.

I’ll gather you—

one from a city and two from a tribe—

and bring you back to Zion.

Consider:

I’ve watched my fair share of “end of the world” apocalypse movies. Whether the cataclysm is brought by zombies, aliens, disease or war, the hero of the movie is a fighter, a scrappy plumber or electrician or navy pilot who overcomes unimaginable odds to survive in the wrecked landscape. And maybe you’ve had a conversation with friends about how you’d survive such an event (and whether you’d even want to).

What’s always fascinated me about those movies is how surprised people seem to be when the inevitable destruction comes. You saw the news reports - they told you aliens were coming! What did you think was going to happen?

We protect ourselves from despair and heartbreak with the perfectly reasonable plan of ignoring it. Denial is a part of our emotional arsenal for a reason - It protects us from being overwhelmed by the possibility of all the terrible things which could maybe happen.

One of those inevitable life truths is bad things will happen to us. The world, the creation, the humans who live in it, we are all broken. The result of that brokenness is destruction. We can pretend it won’t happen, or at least won’t happen to us. But the hard truth is that hard times are part of our life cycle.

And believe it or not, that inevitability is part of the good news of God’s word to us. Hard times are a certainty, but goodness is also an inevitable part of life. When we are in the valleys of life, we can remember the mountaintops of the past as a guidepost for the future. The valley is not forever. We know it, because we look back and remember.

Respond:

Look back and remember your past. What times can you remember which have brought you joy and celebration? Write down or tell a friend about one of your favorite memories, then put it somewhere special where you can find it next time a down time comes.

Pray:

God of Light,

I ask for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit now, as I look back at my past.

Please help me clearly recall the times of great joy and celebration You have given me. Lead me to choose one favorite memory—a powerful reminder of Your goodness and faithfulness.

Give me the clarity to write it down and the wisdom to place this reminder somewhere special, so it can be a source of hope and light the next time I face a difficult season.

Thank You for the gift of these memories. Amen.

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