And they came into the land of Egypt, for they did not obey the voice of the Lord, and they arrived at Tahpanhes. Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in Tahpanhes.
– Jeremiah 43:7–8
So both those verses side by side show two totally different pictures. In verse seven, the people, the leaders, are totally disobeying the voice of God. They had said in the previous chapter, “We will obey God’s voice no matter what he says.” So Jeremiah tells them what he says, to stay there in Jerusalem, and they say, “No, God didn’t say that. We’re going to Egypt.” So they did not obey the voice of the Lord. And then in the very next sentence, the Bible says, “The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah in that place.” So you have a totally opposite picture. You have a group of people who are disobeying God’s voice, and then you have Jeremiah, who is living in total sensitivity to and submission to God’s voice.
Jeremiah 43:7–8 encourages us to be obedient to God’s Word
I just want you to see those two pictures side by side and realize that you have those two options for how to live your life today. And disobedience to God’s voice, or even just disregarding God’s voice, not spending time in his Word, hearing from him and then doing what he has said. That’s the first picture. The second picture is to live in total sensitivity to God’s voice, seeking God’s Word, wanting to hear from God, and when God speaks, doing what he says. So I want to lead us to pray that we would be like Jeremiah today, and not like these leaders today or any day in our lives.
God, we pray for sensitivity to your voice, to your Word. We praise you that your Word has come to us in even greater ways than it was coming to Jeremiah. We praise you, God, for 66 books, for the Bible that we know is your Word. Lord, we praise you for your will. We praise you for your revelation of who you are and who we are and how to live and how to experience abundant life.
Jeremiah 43:7–8 encourages us to delight in and to share God’s Word.
We praise you, God, for your Word, so help us to be sensitive to your voice, to hear it, your Word through your Spirit every day in our lives, to seek your word, to meditate on it morning and evening and all day long. Make us a people who love your Word and listen to your word and hide it in our hearts and walk in obedience to it. And keep us from being Jeremiah 43:7 kind of people, who disregard your voice and don’t obey your Word.
God, we pray that you would keep us today, all day long from disregarding or disobeying your Word. We pray that that would not be the picture of our lives. And God, we pray that you would help us, like Jeremiah did, to speak your word faithfully, to share your word faithfully, even when it is costly.
God, help us to share your Word with somebody today. Help us to encourage other brothers and sisters in Christ with your Word. Help us to pass on what we receive from your Word to others. And God, we pray for people who don’t know your Word. We pray for people around us who don’t know the life that’s found in living according to your voice. God, help us to be a reflection of your voice in their lives and to share the gospel with them today.
Prayer for the Sanusi Bedouin People
And God, we pray for people who’ve never heard your word, specifically for the Sanusi Bedouin people of Libya. For 640,000 of them, no known followers of Jesus. God, we pray for the Sanusi Bedouin people to be reached with the good news of your grace in your Word. Oh God, may the Sanusi Bedouin hear your voice and experience your salvation and the life that’s found only in sensitivity to and submission to your Word. We pray all this according to your Word in Jeremiah 43:7–8. In Jesus’ name, amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder and Chairman of Radical, an organization that helps people follow Jesus and make him known in their neighborhood and all nations.
David received his B.A. from the University of Georgia and M.Div., Th.M., and Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Some of his published works include Radical, Radical Together, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, and Don’t Hold Back.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
