Jeremiah 31:7-9 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 31:7-9 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7For thus says the Lord: Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob, and raise shouts for the chief of the nations; proclaim, give praise, and say, "Save, O Lord, your people, the remnant of Israel." Verse 8See, I am going to bring them from the land of the north, and gather them from the farthest parts of the earth, among them the blind and the lame, those with child and those in labor, together; a great company, they shall return here. Verse 9With weeping they shall come, and with consolations I will lead them back, I will let them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.
Devotion
The 14th Canticle from the LBW offers a beautifully written poetic summary of this section of Jeremiah.
The Hebrew people were taken captive in 587 B.C. and transported to Babylon. All seemed lost as they lived in bondage and hopelessness. In these verses the prophet Jeremiah spoke words of hope. God would turn their darkness to light and mourning to joy. Jeremiah speaks also to us. Sometimes we must reach the depths of despair to hear the message of hope.
Jeremiah spoke of salvation for the Israelites. He speaks of salvation for us too, not just for eternal life, but also from the world’s ills and idols. Often we become spiritually captive, resulting in loneliness. While visiting America, Mother Theresa remarked that our difficultly was not physical hunger, but loneliness. Our spiritual health depends on opening ourselves to God in the Holy Spirit while we are nurtured in our Christian community.
Prayer
Lord, our hope is in you and you alone. Come into our lives and fill us with your Spirit. Bring light to our darkness and joy to our loneliness. Amen.