LORD, You send us. You give Word. If we would seek to do Your will and faithfully follow what is given, without knowing the outcome or how it works, our steps could be truly blessed. Please create in us the ability to take blind corners in faith, so that we heed, accept and move when given Word.
Jeremiah was given a Word. He followed it.
Because God spoke into him this instruction:
“GO AND BUY A LINEN BELT AND PUT IT AROUND YOUR WAIST. DO NOT LET IT TOUCH WATER”
Okay. Jeremiah purchased a linen belt (loincloth/waistcloth) and put it around his waist. Done. He felt accomplished. And yet he did not know what it meant, only that the Word, as given, had been followed.
Oh, and don’t wash it.
Then the Word of the LORD came again:
Alright. Jeremiah went to Perath (Euphrates/Heb. פָּרָה, פְּרָת), removed the belt and placed it into a crevice in the rocks and stood up. Done.
I imagine he paused for a bit, wondering if there was any pending Word or further instruction. Nope, it was quiet. I am unsure if anyone watched this interesting act of hiding a belt. In time, Jeremiah walked away and headed back home before it got dark. Days passed, then weeks went by and it’s back to normal with all the things to do.
Then Word came a third time!
“GO NOW TO PERATH AND GET THE BELT I TOLD YOU TO HIDE THERE”
So, Jeremiah went back to the place where the belt was hidden, buried in a rock crevice. The linen belt was ruined. It was useless. What did Jeremiah think as he stood there holding a belt that God had told him to purchase, not wash, then hide in these rocks, now exhumed and useless?
What does this mean?
It does not add up.
It seems so random.
Am I nuts?
There is no mention of the time elapsed. I believe that all of this took place over several weeks if not longer. Jeremiah had learned to accept direction from God – not to question – but to take it as it came. Whatever God was doing was up to God alone. Jeremiah simply walked it. He was open.
Sometimes it appears so vague and so random, but there is no randomness in Your ways LORD. It all adds up to Your will – the same will that created the universe. It is best to heed, accept and to move when given Word. As for myself, when Word came to ‘STEP OUT’ I followed. What comes next is all for You.
Jeremiah knew Word was sure to follow, and it did. It was heavy, convicting and absolute.
READ Jeremiah 13
verses 8-12
Had he not listened for You, heard what You spoke, accepted it and moved – the nation he lived in would have had no one to warn them.
Going through blind corners
God is already there, beyond the curve up ahead.
To take what God gives in the Word via the Holy Spirits’ instruction or direction, and to step forward in faith without knowing what the outcome will be…is what we are supposed to do. Yes, we are required to pray earnestly beforehand. He will confirm the message every time IF it is truly from Him. Figure, God has sent His people out generation after generation. This is nothing new, but foundational and holy. God needs us requires us to be involved. We are sent with His Word and by His power to be His hands and feet in ministry into a world that desperately needs Him.
If God gives Word, don’t hesitate, GO – be about it!
