Consider the situation of Jerusalem during the siege of Jerusalem in 598-7BC. They were hoping for Egypt to come and save them but the longer they defied the Babylonians the angrier they became and the less chance there was of receiving any mercy at the hands of this cruel nation. Both options were a major gamble and very risky. They ended up gambling on the option that was most desirable for them, that is, they decided to continue to hold out against the Babylonians and wait for Egypt to come and save them. And for a moment it looked like this gamble was going to pay off. To Jeremiah, however, there was no gamble. God had told him, and he had told them, what would be best for them. They should surrender now. Had they surrendered before the Babylonians breached the walls, they would have spared themselves a massive bloodbath. Trusting in God may look like a risk from a rational point of view but for those whose lives are in God’s hands, and who have seen his faithfulness again and again, there is no risk. The way of God is the one road in life that is completely devoid of any risk. There is always a danger in life of expending effort on endeavours that turn out to be futile. But there is no danger of that in God’s service. If your life is in God’s hands you don’t need to worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow belongs to God, and, though tomorrow might he hard, he will be working in all things for your ultimate good.
Entrust your life to God.
Read Jeremiah 37
