Jeremiah 29:4-7 MSG This is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel’s God, to all the exiles I’ve taken from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 “Build houses and make yourselves at home. Put in gardens and eat what grows in that country. 6 Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you’ll thrive in that country and not waste away. 7 Make yourselves at home there and work for the country’s welfare. Pray for Babylon’s well-being. If things go well for Babylon, things will go well for you.”
1 Timothy 2:1-3MSG The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know. Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation. This is the way our Savior God wants us to live.
Observation
The prophet Jeremiah wrote to the displaced captives taken to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar, a pagan king of a pagan kingdom. The bottom line was, “If you find yourself in a pagan land, do what Jesus did – be My light, My agent for change. Choose My Kingdom and Me as your ruler regardless of your circumstances.” The captives in Babylon had major challenges to honoring God within a pagan culture. They needed God’s wisdom to determine how to work for the good of the country in which they lived without dishonoring God. Regardless of where they served God, He was faithful to preserve and even exalt those who set themselves to “make yourselves at home there and work for the country’s welfare.” In the book of Daniel, we can see how he became a trusted advisor to several successive pagan kings while still honoring God.
In Paul’s letter to Timothy, he was speaking essentially the same message to people who lived under pagan Roman rule. Timothy was overseeing the church in Ephesus, a port city in Asia Minor, present day Türkiye. Port cities then and now are very cosmopolitan, a mixture of cultures, values and ideas, the proverbial cultural melting pot. Both the Romans and the Greeks worshipped many gods. Paul was teaching Timothy how to pastor his people in faithfulness to God while functioning in a pagan culture. Paul tells us all that prayer is our best defense against the ungodliness around us. He is telling us that if Jesus is the rock on which we build our house, it will not be moved by the rushing waters of ungodliness swirling around us.
Impact on Me
The captives were asked to “Pray for Babylon’s well-being.” Those who lived in Ephesus were instructed to “Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well.” Certainly Daniel and Timothy did not approve of the cultures or religions under which they served, but both honored and represented God in spite of their surroundings. They were citizens of Heaven and ambassadors to their respective pagan lands. And God preserved and even promoted them. I think about the recent election and how each party demonized the other. This has caused chaotic emotional responses and fear. I am sure the captives felt these same emotions as they were led off to Babylon. HOWEVER, Jeremiah’s words and Paul’s words are still relevant today. Whether I agree with those who rule over me or not, I am instructed to pray for them to rule well and wisely so I can “be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation.”
I can easily forget that God’s thoughts and ways are above my understanding and He has no obligation to explain the “why” to me. I would not have chosen crucifixion of my own son as the pathway to redemption, but I am not God and do not have His eternal perspective. I don’t understand why suffering and sickness are still in this world after their advocate was defeated by the Cross and Resurrection, but I am not God. I don’t understand many things, but I have learned by experience to trust God’s love, comfort and care for me in my confused and painful times. Like Peter, I say, “Where else would I go? Jesus, You have the words of life.” I want to leave government of my life on Jesus’s shoulders.
Devotion
Lord God, Creator, Redeemer, All-Wise, Eternal Father, You are my only safe haven, my strong tower. When I cannot understand the why for what is going on, remind me that I am Your ambassador, Your light, an instrument in Your hand, to bring Your presence, Your love, Your peace and Your comfort into the confusion, pain, sorrow and upheaval, submitting to be an instrument in Your hand regardless of the circumstances around me or the government ruling over me. I submit to the government of Jesus over any other. Lord, help me to always put my faith and future in Your hands even when I don’t understand. Make it so, in Jesus’ name.
Pressing On In His Footsteps 