Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Living in Exile

10 “‘So do not be afraid, Jacob my servant;
do not be dismayed, Israel,’
declares the LORD.
‘I will surely save you out of a distant place,
your descendants from the land of their exile.
Jacob will again have peace and security,
and no one will make him afraid.
11 I am with you and will save you,’
declares the LORD." Jeremiah 30:10-11 NIV

Do you ever feel afraid? Isolated? It's easy to get to that place. God understands that.

God gave me these verses today to give to a friend that feels that she is living in exile. No, she's not in a foreign land, in fact, she and her family are living in one of the most beautiful places God has blessed the world with. But you see, to her, it is exile.

We all have our own experiences of exile. That is one of the amazing things that I get so blessed by whenever I read the Bible. That God, even in the Old Testament, can have a prophet, write down His words that meant something to the people of that time, and it can still mean something to you, to me--all these years and worlds away. Isn't that just mind-boggling awesome?!

God wanted my friend to have these verses, I think, for the purpose of giving her hope by letting her know that He has her where He needs her now, and--since she is being a faithful servant--He will bring her back to where she truly feels more involved. And the same hope goes for you during your exile--does this make sense?

Our God is an awesome God. He may take us out of our comfort zone, but He never leaves us alone. If we listen, truly listen, He will always leave us with words of comfort and wisdom. He will always protect us and keep us safe.

Are you experiencing your own exile? Your own feeling of isolation? Understand, it doesn't have to be a physical place, it could be emotional or spiritual. Your God wants to have you share those feelings with Him. He is there beside you, always.

“‘So you will be my people,
and I will be your God.’” Jeremiah 30:22 NIV

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