“It is I who, by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth with the men and animals that are on the earth. And I give it to whomever it seems right to me.”
– Jeremiah 27:5
I give you a little context on what’s happening around Jeremiah 27:5, and what happens right after that is God talks about how He has given lands and power into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. He is using that for the discipline of His people, for the judgment of His people, and ultimately, the accomplishment of His purposes.
Jeremiah 27:5 Reminds Us That God is sovereign over all nations and all rulers. We have supreme confidence and complete hope in Him, knowing that one day we will be with Him forever.
Then He talks about how all kinds of people will serve Nebuchadnezzar until I decide not to do that anymore. And then other nations and kings will make him and Babylon their slave, which is exactly what happens in history. I read this and I think, what confidence you and I can have right now, when we look around us in the world. You look at your news app, and you see things happening all around the world, and it almost seems like things are totally out of control.
But these verses in Jeremiah 27 and specifically here in Jeremiah 27:5 remind us that things are not ultimately out of control, that God has all power. Jeremiah 27:5, “It is I who by my great power and my outstretched arm have made the earth.” God is sovereign in control of it all, over all nations right now, over all rulers right now. God holds them in the palm of his hand. There is nothing that is happening outside the governance, ultimately of a sovereign God.
Now, obviously, all things are not right and good. We live in a sinful, fallen world. The effects of sin and fallenness are everywhere, in nations, in rulers. At the same time, we know that Jesus has come, He has conquered sin and death, and He’s coming back. There’s coming a day when sin will be no more, and a new heaven and a new earth comprised of all nations, tribes, tongues of people are represented around His throne, singing His praise and enjoying his glory for all of eternity. This is where all of history is headed because God is sovereign. We know all history is headed toward that point.
Jeremiah 27:5 Provides Confidence That We Can Trust The Almighty
So, we have great confidence. We have total hope that God is sovereign over history right now, and God is even in ways we can’t see or comprehend, working all of history toward the end, that He might be glorified in the salvation of all who trust in Him.
We pray today, God, we trust in you. I pray for those who are listening right now. I pray for anybody who’s listening right now, who’s not put their trust in you for salvation, who has not trusted in your son, Jesus, to save them from their sins. Who don’t have this hope right now of eternal life with you and a new heaven, and a new earth free from sin and sorrow and suffering and death.
God, I pray that there might be people listening to this right now that say, “I don’t know where my future is going to be.” Who trust in Jesus and find that their future is going to be an eternal life in you.
God, I pray that you would even right now draw people to yourself in salvation. Bring people to trust in you for the first time. And then, oh God, bring people to trust in you. And then, oh God, help us to live with that trust in you in a world where things sometimes seem like they’re out of control. Not just big picture nations and rulers, but even the circumstances of our lives, that we sometimes think things are out of control.
Jesus Will Reign
God, help us to trust in you, that you’re working all things together for the accomplishment of your purposes. Help us to trust that reality, that truth, and to believe that all things are indeed working together for the good of those who love you, and have been called according to your purpose. And that one day sin will be no more, and one day sorrow will be no more. And one day trials will be no more, and one day you will reign. One day you will assert your reign over all things in a way that leads to perfect righteousness and perfect justice all over the earth.
Oh, God, we long for the day. Come Lord Jesus, come quickly and help us. Help us to be faithful from this day until that to trust in you and to follow you with hope, all of our hope in you. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.
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David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
