Jeremiah 7 ~ Praying God's Word

Please read Jeremiah 7.

Meditate on and memorize what God said in verse 23.

Obey My voice, and I will be your God,

 and you will be My people;

and you will walk in all the way which I command you,

 that it may be well with you.

God prepared Jeremiah to be a preacher from the time he was in his mother’s womb.  He was a young man when the LORD commanded him to speak every word He put into his mouth.  Jeremiah’s first recorded sermon was at the gate of the LORD’s house.  God told him to preach to the people who were going inside those gates to worship the LORD (Jeremiah 1:5-9; 7:2).

The people worshipped in the beautiful temple built by King Solomon, and they were proud of it.  They bragged about “the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD” (Jeremiah 7:4).  It was the place they went to carry out religious rituals.  They thought going to the temple freed them up to spend the rest of their week stealing, murdering, committing adultery, swearing falsely, sacrificing to Baal, and walking after other gods.  They were even sacrificing their children (Jeremiah 7:8-10, 31-32).

Jeremiah’s sermon was one of warning with an opportunity to repent before it was too late.  God would destroy the temple and pour out His wrath on the people and the land unless they amended their ways and deeds.  If they did not cease from doing evil, God would make cease from the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the voice of joy and the voice of gladness; the land and their lives would become a ruin  (Jeremiah 7:3, 20, 34).

Examine your life.  Do you justify behaviors that are detestable to the LORD?  Who and what are you sacrificing to get ahead and to attain what you think you deserve?  Are you more proud of the church you attend than the LORD who is the Head of your church?

Pray Jeremiah 7:23-24 over yourself and those for whom you stand guard as a faithful, prayerful watchman (Isaiah 62:6-7).

“LORD, help _________ and me obey Your voice.

We want You to be our God; we want to be Your people.

May we walk in the way You command us, that it may be well with us.

Help us to obey and incline our ear to You. 

Do not let us walk in our own counsels and in the stubbornness of an evil heart. 

May we stop going backward! 

Let us go forward with You, LORD!

In Your name, Jesus~”