Psalm 31:1-3

My Shepherd met me in HIs green pastures and laid me down in Jeremiah 33. I went into the pastures hungry, seeking His face, and listening for His voice. The Mind of the Spirit engaged the spirit of my mind in verse 3:

Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

It’s highlighted in my Intercessor Bible; maybe that’s why my eye went directly to that verse. Nevertheless, as often happens, His words spoke directly to a specific need, and it was exactly what I needed. I called, and He answered. Praise Him Who condescends to the low estate of his servant.

Jeremiah was “shut up” (Jeremiah 33:1—held in custody in the “court of the prison”). Although the enemy “shut [him] up” so the prophet could not speak God’s word in public, there was no prison that could keep the Word from getting to the prophet: “The word of the LORD came unto Jeremiah … while he was yet shut up in the court of the prison” (Jeremiah 3:1). The “angel of the LORD” visited Peter’s prison, and walked him out (Acts 12:5-12). When we are in “prison,” we might prefer the “angel of the Lord” to “the word of the LORD.” But whether the Lord joins us in our “cell” or delivers us out of it, or whether He opens the prison doors yet bids us abide a while (Acts 16:25-28), it is for His purpose, for He is the “maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name” (Jeremiah 33:2).*

The word that came to Jeremiah came at a time of great distress in his homeland. Nebuchadnezzar had brought his nation under tribute to Babylon. The king, Zedekiah, who had been placed on the throne by Nebuchadnezzar, rebelled, and Jeremiah warned him that the Babylonian army was preparing to destroy Jerusalem. The other prophets and princes derided Jeremiah and cast him into prison. But when Zedekiah saw that Babylon was coming, he secretly spoke with Jeremiah, who confirmed the prophecy of Jerusalem’s destruction. Zedekaih allowed Jeremiah to be removed from the prison cell and was held in the “court of the prison” instead (Jeremiah 33:1; see 37:21, read 37:16-21).**

Along the still waters, I thought about Jeremiah’s trials and tribulations: his beloved country was under divine judgment, and though he had been faithful to speak God’s word truly, he was hated by his peers and cast into prison by the princes (rulers). Yet his message was their hope; if they had listened, Zedekiah and the remnant of Judah could have remained in their land during their chastisement.

The prison court was an improvement over the dungeon, yet Jeremiah longed to be free. God’s word came to him, and it was a comforting promise that although Jerusalem would be destroyed because the king, the princes, and the people refused his message, God would one day restore Jerusalem and his people (Jeremiah 33:4-26).

In Jeremiah’s deep despair, God came to him and said, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3).

In the valley shadowed by His Cross, the darkness of my own trials matched the darkness of my room. As the sun rose and its light peered through the blinds of my prayer closet, the “word of the LORD” came to me “the second time”: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3). The Spirit brought to my mind memories buried deep, memories that pained my mind and filled my heart with groaning, but His wors sustained me: “Call on me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” So I called, and He answered, and He showed me His grace, extended to me His mercy, and renewed my hope of deliverance for my beloved land (2 Chronicles 7:14).

Jesus drew near and whispered in my ear: “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). He yoked me to Him, removed my burden, and replaced it with His (Matthew 11:29).

He walked me to His table, anointed my head with His oil, and filled my cup with His grace. Goodness and mercy appeared and followed as we walked together into the harvest.

Praying for revival! 🙏

Going live asap:

https://rumble.com/v73ybim-shepherds-pasture.html

[*Jeremiah 33:2 is a bit of a puzzle. The application I assigned to it is an extended application based on an insight the verse inspires. The primary meaning of the language of Jeremiah 33:2 is that GOD is the “maker” of the prophecy He brought to Jeremiah in the court. The word thereof points back to “the word of the LORD [that] came unto Jeremiah” (Jeremiah 33:1). Also, the idea of the word maker is that God is the one Who will perform the doing of it. It’s like my wife, who “makes the lasagna.” She is the one who does the work of bringing together and presenting the delicious meal. The “it” that GOD formed is the subject of the prophecy: Jerusalem. He “formed” Jerusalem and will “establish” it. The fact is, GOD is the “maker” and “former” of His purposes and will establish His word, and this applies to all His works, including what He does with and by His servants.]

[**Jeremiah is not organized chronologically. The Spirit presented this prophecy of the “court” (Jeremiah 33), then rehearsed the history that led to this crisis (34-37), and returned to the scene of the prophecy in Jeremiah 37:21, explaining how Jeremiah came to be in the “court of the prison.”]