PODCAST
Love + Kindness = Hope
November 6th, 2015
Jeremiah 31:1-14
Hope. We need it like we need air. Hope is essential to sustain us in the midst of devastation and uncertainty.
Exiled in Babylon, the word of the Lord came to the people of Judah through the prophet Jeremiah. Words of reminder and promise breathed hope into their devastation and uncertainty. The people were reminded that the Lord’s “everlasting love” and “unfailing kindness” had not ended. With imagery reminiscent of the exodus from Egypt, the Lord promised that again they would take up tambourines (“timbrels”) and dance for joy (Jeremiah 31:4; see Exodus 15:20ff). They would enjoy the fruits of their labor (Jeremiah 31:5) instead of watching others reap what they had sown (see Deuteronomy 28:30, 39). Once again they would gather to worship in Jerusalem (Jeremiah 31:6). Perhaps most miraculous of all, the Lord would restore the broken family of Jacob. A hopeful future was predicated on the everlasting love and unfailing kindness of the Lord.
So too for us: Whatever devastation or uncertainty we might face, our hope rests firmly in the Lord’s everlasting love and unfailing kindness.
Author: Rhonda Carrim
