An "a Ha" Moment (Praise Break)

Praise Break

Theme: Sometimes we need to stop in the middle of our pandemic and storm and have a praise and worship break unto the Lord.

Text: Jeremiah 32:17-19

Jeremiah 32:17 'Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. 18 'You show lovingkindness to thousands, and repay the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them; the Great, the Mighty God, whose name is the LORD of hosts. 19 'You are great in counsel and mighty in work, for your eyes are open to all the ways of the sons of men, to give everyone according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings.

Introduction

Have you ever had an “ah, ha” moment? It is like when you finally get something.

This is what happened to Jeremiah. Notice this is how he begins his prayer unto the Lord. “Ah, Lord God”. This word Ah is as to say, “alas or oh”. It is as a surprise. Let me give you a brief history so you can better understand where I am coming from.

You can’t help but to say, “ah ha” when you read this passage. It seems to wake something up inside of you that reminds you of who you really serve.

Most of you have heard of Jeremiah and you have heard him called the “weeping prophet”. He is the author of a book called Lamentations. The reason he picked up this nickname was because he was broken hearted over the destruction of Jerusalem. You see God had called him to be a prophet but it seemed he was only the prophet of doom. I mean in this book alone he was “threatened in his hometown, tried for his life by the priests and prophets of Jerusalem, put in stocks, forced to flee from King Jehoiakim, publicly humiliated by the false prophet Hananiah, thrown into a cistern and finally jailed by the king”. Prophesying to a nation that full of vile sin and idolatry worship.

Jeremiah was not a very popular man and all he was doing was what God had told him. Prophesy to Jerusalem about the coming destruction of the Babylonians. Not only that but God told Jeremiah to tell the king not to fight the Babylonians but to just surrender. This was against national pride.

By the time we get to chapter 32 Jerusalem is being sieged or surrounded by the Babylonians. The city is cut off. The Israelites are resisting and Jeremiah is in jail. Sounds like an exciting live?

Yet truly chapters 31-32 is the highlight of the book of Jeremiah not just because God’s prophetic word is coming true but also because God gives Jeremiah another prophecy but this time it is about the return of the Jews to the city.

God tells Jeremiah that his cousin will soon come to him and will ask him to redeem his father’s property. This was very common to keep the land in the family line. So Jeremiah does. He pays the money to buy the land.

Now you got to understand. The Babylonians are at war. They have already captured the land that Jeremiah is buying so the question is what value is it to Jeremiah. How could he own the land?

Yet God gives him a promise and Jeremiah steps out by faith and believes the Lord by purchasing the land. He did not understand how but he believed the Lord.

Reminds me of Joseph as he he looked to the future of God delivering the Jews out of Egypt and he said, “when you go, don’t forget to take my bones with you”.

Jeremiah is acting on faith.

For me it really makes Hebrews 11:1 come to life:

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Abraham

Hebrews 11:8-13 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. (9) By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; (10) for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. (11) By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child [51] when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. (12) Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude--innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore. (13) These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, [52] embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.