Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee: Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name, Great in counsel, and mighty in work: for thine eyes are open upon all the ways of the sons of men: to give every one according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings:
Jeremiah 32:17-19
One of the most beautiful declarations of God’s glory and power is found in this prayer from the prophet Jeremiah. He declares with confidence that the great Creator God is able to do anything. This powerful statement of faith has resonated for centuries. It has been the text of many sermons and these verses were turned into a song many of us sang growing up. However, it is important to note what was going on when Jeremiah offered up this prayer, because it makes these words even more dramatic and meaningful.
The evil king Zedekiah had arrested Jeremiah and placed him in prison because the prophet continually warned the people of God’s coming judgment. At the same time, the armies of Babylon had laid siege to Jerusalem and were surrounding the city. Jeremiah was not praising God and declaring His power in a time when things were going well, but rather in a time when everything was falling apart. Both his personal condition and his nation’s future were in grave jeopardy, but even in those conditions Jeremiah knew that God was in control.
The struggles and trials of our lives do not mean that God is no longer able to defend and deliver His children. They are not evidence that He has abandoned or forgotten us, or that He no longer cares about us. They are simply part of the process of purifying us to make us more like Jesus. “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job 23:10).
