Stay Where You Are

Jeremiah 42:10
If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you.

When things are going bad where you are there is always the temptation to leave and go somewhere better. Just because things are not ideal where you are doesn’t mean it’s not where you are supposed to be. Sometimes, God uses the adversity of where we are to get us closer to him and he then will restore the land where we are.

Judah had been besieged by Babylon. Most of the people had been killed or taken captive. There was a remnant there who wanted to know from the Prophet Jeremiah, what they should do because it was only a few of them left. Have you ever felt like that? Your numbers had dropped. The people around you had died or been taken captive and you only had a few people left to support you. Maybe it’s time to go somewhere else. Maybe it’s time to go somewhere with better resources. My promised land no longer looks like the Promised Land so I might as well go back to Egypt. Is there a word from the Lord?

Ten Days later, Jeremiah, the prophet, tells them, “God says, stay in this land, and I will build you up…” This is not what they wanted to hear. Not only had the King of Babylon already raided Judah but he was coming back because a rebel had killed some of his officials and they feared the King was coming back to deal with them. But Jeremiah tells them God was going to cover them and protect them.

This is not what the people wanted to hear. In fact, the bible says the “arrogant’ men told the prophet he was lying. When God tells us what we do not want to hear, we turn against the prophet and leave anyway and wonder why we go from bad to worse when we thought we were going from bad to better. Because when you leave God’s will and Gods place, Better always gets Worse. Even when you go to a better place you mess it up because you disobeyed God.

What I hear God saying is this:

1. Stay in ‘this land.” Your land is your place that needs some work. Your resources are slim, but God told you, this is your place. It ain’t time to leave. Wherever God has you is where you are supposed to be no matter how hard it is right now.

2. God will build you up. That is after the breaking down of your land, as a result of your disobedience, God will rebuild you if you stay in the land. God always builds up after brokenness.

3. God will plant not uproot. God will re-establish you and cause you to be fruitful if you stay in the land. There is a blessing in the place you’re in even though it doesn’t look like it. Stay in the land.

Dear God, give me the discernment to hear your voice and the discipline to obey it. Remove my anxiousness and increase my faith. There is only a few of us left. The recession has been difficult but I know my blessing is in this land. Give me the perseverance to stay around and see the turn around. I feel my help coming on right now! Thank you for the Turn Around!

In Jesus Name,
Amen