Jeremiah 29:5-7
Years ago, I was
having extremely bad headaches. Eventually I was having some short-term memory
loss, vomiting, blurred vision and anxiety. I went to the doctor and they
ordered an MRI to see if I might have a brain tumor. Waiting for the results
was the longest four days ever. I was sick, scared and I felt the world closing
in on me. Fortunately, the results showed no tumor and I started feeling better
soon.
Feeling broken and
hurt is a desperate place to be. Thankfully, I had my family, my church, my
friends and God. However, I often imagine if I had to go that path all alone.
The truth is that many people around us are going through very difficult things
and they need peace. Like you and me, they’ll search until something satisfies
their immediate need. Will you and I pick up the mission to meet broken and
hurting people right where they are?
In the book of
Jeremiah, God’s people found themselves taken from Jerusalem and placed in
captivity in Babylon. Straight from peace to chaos, probably wondering where
their God was. They likely intended to do the very same thing we would have.
They would have wanted to distance themselves from the culture, language,
rituals and practices of their oppressors. They wanted walls of separation.
Jeremiah delivers a better plan, God’s plan.
God sent them into
that chaos and he had a plan to bring peace. The peace he wants to bring will
be ushered in by the actions and engagement of his people with the chaos around
them. In the same way, God has placed us in the middle of chaos, brokenness,
pain and suffering, so that we can be carriers of peace. Peace is most recognizable
in chaos, just like light is in darkness and salt is in blandness.
Peace is most alluring
when it is placed in opposition of chaos and confusion. So build bridges to
broken people, not walls. Close the gap between yourself and those that are desperate
for healing.
Take a little
inventory of the people in your life. You likely have coworkers, family,
friends and neighbors that are experiencing much chaos in their lives. We often
catch news of tension filled marriages, stress over finances, worry about kids
and health problems, but we seldom take the time to invite God to bring peace
to those people. Jot down a quick list of people that would benefit from more
peace in their current, chaotic situation.
Pray for those people
by name. Invite God to give them perspective and peace. Pray that God would
send other believers to help them. Pray for health, relationships and finances
to be resolved.
Adapted From: Life On Mission - You Version
