Key Verses: Jeremiah 3:14a, 4:19a
“Return, O backsliding children,” says the Lord; “for I am married to you…”
…O my soul, my soul! I am pained in my very heart! My heart makes a noise in me…

In today’s Bible reading, the word, “BACKSLIDING” is repeated four times, and the word “RETURN” five times. Taking note of significant words repeated over and over lets us know what the writer is trying to emphasize for our benefit! God’s message to the backslider is “RETURN!” Ask ourselves this question and let’s make it personal: “Have I ever loved and served God in the past more than I do today?” If so, “RETURN.”

Jeremiah, in our key verses, expresses the heart pain that God feels – the pain of a parent rejected by his children, the pain of a husband who truly loves his bride and wife, but has been rejected in favour of other lovers. Some who read this may have experienced such pain, which is not only crushing emotionally but also produces devastating mental anguish and even has negative physical effects. As a prophet, Jeremiah represents God and is feeling a measure of God’s pain. As a priest, he represents the human family before God in intercession. He identifies with the pain of our separation from God. We are beginning to understand why Jeremiah is called “The Weeping Prophet.”

PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord God, my eternal loving heavenly Father, I return to You to run into Your loving arms which are wide open and waiting for me to come closer than ever. Lord God, You have described Yourself as my lover/spouse. I do love You with all my heart. Give me grace to be 100% true to You at all times. Forgive me of my backsliding. Thank You for promising Your willingness to forgive and restore. I pray these mercies through Jesus Christ, the One who never backslid and, therefore, never needed to return. Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:
The person who loves the most is most deeply hurt when rejected by the one they love. The mother who has nursed a child at her breast and then lives to be rejected by a son or daughter knows the pain of which Jeremiah writes. The husband or wife who has given themselves totally in love with their spouse and is then rejected knows such deep inner pain, such that it’s impossible to describe in words. I have never felt that rejection personally, but I’ve put my arms around many whose body is wracked with such immeasurable pain. All I could do was to be there as there were no words which I could speak that would be adequate. Surely God, Whose very nature is infinitely loving, must feel this pain much more than man. This is the pain Jesus bore when He suffered on the cross – the pain of rejection, separation and loss. I can’t even begin to imagine His pain. All I can do is cry and say, “I’m here Lord. I’ve returned! I’m determined to move closer to You and not backslide!!!”

Yours for loving God faithfully and showing love for Him by our love for others,

David