“A Prayer of Confidence”

 “A Prayer of Confidence”

 

LORD, you are my Strength and Fortress, my Refuge in the day of trouble!  Nations from around the world will come to You and say, “our ancestors left us a foolish heritage, for they worshiped worthless idols.  Can People make their own gods?  These are not real gods at all!”   

Jeremiah 16:19-20

 

Jeremiah is one of my favorite prophets in the Old Testament period of time.  He spoke boldly in relaying God’s Messages to the Nation of Judah.   The nation was steeped in IDOLATRY, and God was NOT HAPPY with them.  So, He told Jeremiah to warn the people that He was planning DISASTER FOR THEM.  And that they SHOULD turn away from their EVIL WAYS.  But the people refused to LISTEN to JEREMIAH.  

 

Jeremiah was OBEDIENT to God and DELIVERED His MESSAGES to the PEOPLE.  But the REJECTION of the people left Jeremiah with a HEAVY HEART.  So, he went before the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, and PRAYED for what seemed like to him, a HOPELESS situation.  Beginning his prayer with the AFFIRMATION of his TRUST in God, and with ACKNOWLEDGMENT of his CONFIDENCE in God by using the words: “You are my STRENGTH and FORTRESS, my REFUGE in the day of trouble!”  Then Jeremiah continued with the acclamation that nations from around the world will come to God and say, “our ancestors left us a foolish heritage, for they worshiped worthless idols.  Can people make their OWN gods?  These are NOT real gods at all!”  This indicated the WICKEDNESS of the people.  

 

The LORD replied: “Now I will show them My POWER, now I will show them My MIGHT.  At last, they will KNOW and UNDERSTAND that I am the LORD.”   I am SURE that MUST have BOOSTED Jeremiah’s CONFIDENCE LEVEL. The LORD GOD, KEEPS His WORD.  And so, the nation of JUDAH was in for a RECKONING, an UNDERSTANDING and KNOWLEDGE of WHO the ONE and ONLY GOD REALLY IS, and I BELIEVE it was carried out the HARD WAY!

 

I see so much of a correlation between Judah and the time in which we are living.   Some of us, are like JEREMIAH, we try HARD to be OBEDIENT to God, and to put OUR TRUST in HIM and Him ALONE.  And like the prophet, we have CONFIDENCE and TRUST in the ABILITIES of GOD.  We see Him as our STRENGTH, our FORTRESS, and our REFUGE in times of trouble.  We can come to Him, putting our TRUST in HIM and we can do this because of our CONFIDENCE in Him.  However, there are some who are like the NATION of JUDAH, they put their TRUST and CONFIDENCE in something they VALUE or someone they believe COULD do BETTER than God.  And they are FACING an ETERNITY in HELL, with ALL its HORRORS and NO WAY to ESCAPE, once they are there. 

 

If you are in the latter group, YOU NEED to do the following, in order to CHANGE your DESTINY:

You MUST ADMIT that YOU are a SINNER, in NEED of the SAVIOR, the LORD JESUS CHRIST, who SACRIFICED His LIFE, to SAVE your WRETCHED, HELL-BOUND soul.  You MUST BELIEVE that JESUS DIED for YOU, and that He is ALIVE in Heaven, making intercession for YOU, before God.  You MUST CONFESS your SINS to Him and ask Him for His FORGIVENESS.  You MUST be WILLING to TURN AWAY FROM your SINFUL LIFESTYLE and TURN TO GOD, with a TRUE REPENTANT HEART.  You MUST ACCEPT God’s Gift of SALVATION and put your TRUST and CONFIDENCE in the ALMIGHTY GOD.  And ALLOW Him to be your STRENGTH, FORTRESS, and REFUGE.  And be ABLE to OFFER your PRAYERS with CONFIDENCE.  Do this NOW, while you STILL can.  He’s WAITING and COMING SOON!!!  DON’T BE LEFT BEHIND!!!