“The LORD Will Restore Us In The Land Of Our Ancestors!”(Jer.16:14-17).
By anthropomorphic reasoning God has often been pictured as a Big Eye, drawn in such a manner that from whichever angle you are looking at the picture, the eye will be focused on you.
Such drawings are motivated by such texts as: “My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes.” We do not in any way encourage such drawings, paintings or pictures, because that would be tantamount to encouraging idol worship.
There is no hiding place from the LORD whose eye sees everywhere. To his scattered children, the LORD promises a return.
What God says he will do, he will surely do. But his timing may never please us. He promised to bring back the scattered children of the exile “from the countries where he had banished them” and restore them to the land he had given to their ancestors.
But even so, during this Babylonian exile God had told the exiles not to think that the exile would be short-lived. He encouraged them, “Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage; so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you to exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper… For I know the plans I have for you…plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future…You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart..,I will bring you back from captivity…(Jer.29:4-14)
God’s timing does not happen over night. That is why God’s time is “Kairos,” not “Chronos!” God’s kairos is not calculated by the calender. His time is when the time is ripe. No doubt that what we may consider as the final restoration of the nation of Israel happened as recently as 1948. Before this time they had ceased to exist as a nation since from the destruction of, and theJudean diaspora.
Dear friend, are we in a similar situation? Then let us cheer up! What God says he will do, he will surely do. There is always a time of restoration because his eyes are always on those who call him by name in genuine repentance! We should patiently wait for him as we emphasise on the force of our argument and cease from the argument of force!
Prayer: Thank you LORD for the promise of our restoration after we have repented in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen!
Have a blessed day! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.