Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord. Psalm 31:24 NKJV.

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:15-17 NKJV.

Christ is faithful as a Son over God’s house. And we are His house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast. Hebrews 3:6.

This chapter, Jeremiah 28, shows us a difference between trusting Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit, even when we want to hear something easier; or trusting our choices to our hurt, instead of listening to God. And isn’t that our whole problem? Why is there hate, why do we choose to hurt one another? Why do we think it’s okay to sin against others? Do we not realize we sin against God? God chose Jeremiah to tell the people what would happen. Another prophet, Hananiah son of Azzur, told the people what they wanted to hear: “This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: ‘I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon. Within two years I will bring back to this place all the articles of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon removed from here and took to Babylon. I will also bring back to this place Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah and all the other exiles from Judah who went to Babylon,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I will break the yoke of the king of Babylon.’” v. 2-4. What’s so sad in this is that God is doing a work through Nebuchadnezzar but the people want their own way. Then the prophet Jeremiah replied to the prophet Hananiah before the priests and all the people who were standing in the house of the Lord. He said, “Amen! May the Lord do so! May the Lord fulfill the words you have prophesied by bringing the articles of the Lord’s house and all the exiles back to this place from Babylon. Nevertheless, listen to what I have to say in your hearing and in the hearing of all the people: From early times the prophets who preceded you and me have prophesied war, disaster and plague against many countries and great kingdoms. But the prophet who prophesies peace will be recognized as one truly sent by the Lord only if his prediction comes true.” v. 5-9. Hananiah then removes the yoke Jeremiah had been wearing and breaks it declaring that is what the Lord will do to the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar within two years, v. 10-11. God sent Jeremiah back to Hananiah to tell him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘You have broken a wooden yoke, but in its place you will get a yoke of iron. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel says: I will put an iron yoke on the necks of all these nations to make them serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and they will serve him. I will even give him control over the wild animals…Listen, Hananiah! The Lord has not sent you, yet you have persuaded this nation to trust in lies. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: ‘I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This very year you are going to die, because you have preached rebellion against the Lord.’” In the seventh month of that same year, Hananiah the prophet died. v. 13-17.

Do we long for God’s truth? He has never lied to us. The truth is we sin grievously against God, and because of that we need God to help us see what we are doing…and He is the only one who can help us because He is Truth. Those not from God persuade nations to trust in lies. And it all goes back to the father of lies in the garden of Eden. Lies or Truth. What do you long for? That will determine who you will turn to. Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you really know Me, you will know My Father as well. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him. John 14:6. Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent. John 17:3. Once you turn to God and walk in trust with Him, you begin to understand that He is doing a good work always even though we can’t see it. We see all too clearly the choices being made in this world and the devastations they bring. God sees so much more and it is Good!