Delay? Okay.

Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the second time, while he was still confined in the court of the guard, saying, “Thus says the LORD who made the earth, the LORD who formed it to establish it, the LORD is His name, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’” (Jeremiah 33:1-3)

There are times when the people of God suffer confinement. It may be in a physical prison, or (figuratively speaking) it may be in a season of delay: permissions are not granted, projects remain uncompleted, we find ourselves unable to move forward, and we feel stuck. In our season of confinement, we can be encouraged by this passage.

The Lord God spoke to His imprisoned servant, the prophet Jeremiah. A promise was given to him: Call to Me; I will answer you; I will tell you some things that will amaze you. Our question for today: Is God’s assurance of His answer sufficient for us?

Sometimes, in our confinement, we don’t want prophetic insights: our only desire is for release and we don’t take satisfaction in anything else. Sometimes we are reluctant to stay imprisoned and listen to God. My prayer is that, for all of us in such situations, we will be empowered to ignore our personal discomfort so that we can delight in the word of the Lord. It is the revealed word of God that gives us the strength to endure our season of confinement.

So, Lord God, we declare our rest in You. We may be confined, but we are at peace. Our ears are open to hear Your voice. We know that, at Your appointed time, You will bring deliverance as You see fit. We thank You for this, and we thank You for hearing our prayer. Your timing is perfect: we will joyfully wait for You to speak and act. Amen.