38 They will be my people, and I will be their God. 39 I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me and that all will then go well for them and for their children after them. 40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me.
Have you ever caught yourself seeking distraction for distractions sake? Whether it is to escape the constant reminder of the pandemic or the political unrest, it can be easy to simply want to “get through” 2020. But living through difficult times shouldn’t deter us from the hope that we can find in a life focused on God. Jeremiah encourages God’s people that despite the upheaval that will come God “will give them singleness of heart and action….” (vs 39)
Even though this year has not panned out the way we might have hoped, God wants us to remember that He is still in control and wastes nothing. He wants us to remain committed to building on the relationship He has salvaged through the person and work of Jesus. So every time that we feel like checking out let’s remember that God may be giving us that moment as a reminder to tune into the Bible, to increase our prayer life, or to extend hope to another through the building of new relationships. God is always working to breathe new life into hopeless situations.
The question is whether we will be paying attention or not. If we choose to fall into distraction, we may miss the opportunity that God has for us. Jeremiah goes on to say that God is “[making] an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them….” (vs 40) Does that sound like a god who wants us to succumb to distraction or to tune into a living promise? I know how hard it is not to simply settle for binge-watching a new Netflix series or scrolling through endless threads on whatever social media platform is popular to visit these days, but God desires more for us! He wants to bestow goodness, to inspire—even in 2020!
