It is he who made the earth by his power and who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens. And he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and He brings forth the wind from His storehouses. Every man is stupid and without knowledge. Every goldsmith is put to shame by His idols for His images are false, and there is no breath in them. They’re worthless. A work of delusion. At the time of their punishment, they shall perish, not like these is He who is the portion of Jacob, for He is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of His inheritance. The Lord of hosts is His name.
– Jeremiah 51:15–19
Oh, what a contrast between the Lord of Hosts, God, who made the earth by his power and established the world by his wisdom with the gods, the idols of this world. And even us, every man is stupid and without knowledge, meaning left to ourselves, we have no knowledge. God has all knowledge. Any knowledge we have comes from him. We are totally dependent on God, who is totally independent of us, meaning he’s not dependent on us for anything.
Jeremiah 51:15–19 provide a sobering image of majesty of God.
These verses are a description of the greatness and the glory and the majesty and the holiness of God. And then, at the end, these verses make clear that this God is the portion of Jacob, that Israel is the tribe of his inheritance. In other words, they belong to God, and God is their portion, and all the more so is this true for all who trust in Jesus.
Today, we know through the New Covenant that we know God in a deeper way. We have access to this God, to the one true God in a way that Old Testament saints only could have longed for, that Jesus is made possible for you and me. And so, we pray. We come before him right now in the blood of Jesus that covers over our sins.
Oh, God, we praise you for communion with you, for knowledge of you, for the glory we have seen in the face of Jesus that opens the way for us to know and worship and walk with you, the one who made the earth by your power. You established the world by your wisdom. We look out and see all kinds of things in the world around us today. You established it all by your wisdom.
Jeremiah 51:15–19 reminds us God is the only One who can satisfy our souls.
We praise you for your voice, for your Word that brings a tumult of waters in the heavens. We praise you for how you make mist rise from the ends of the earth. You make lightning for the rain. You bring forth the wind from your storehouses, God. As we feel wind around us today, as some of us see rain today, help us to see it as a demonstration of your glory and your greatness.
Oh, God, there is no god like you. We pray that you would keep us in every way from worshiping idols in this world. Even good things, seeking after them, trusting in them, instead of seeking after you and trusting in you as the giver of all good things, the giver of all good gifts. You are the one our souls need. You are the one our souls long for. You’re the only one who can satisfy us.
And we praise you, oh God, that you are our portion. You are our portion. We belong to you, that we have your inheritance, that we are heirs with Christ as Romans talks about of the kingdom that you have made possible for us.
All glory be to your name for the privilege of being your children, not just citizens of your Kingdom, but sons and daughters knowing you as our Father. God, help us to live in this royalty. Help us to live in this joy today to the full.
This verse is meant to inspire deep humility in our walk with God.
God, help us to walk humbly with you. Help us to worship you. God, help us to pursue you. Help us to be holy as you are holy and help us to shine Matthew 5, in such a way that people see our lives and bring glory to you and heaven.
God, help us to point people around us, to you and who you are. And God, we pray for people around the world who don’t know who you are, who don’t know about Jesus, who has died on the cross, risen from the dead so that they could know you.
Prayer for the Bisaya People
God, we pray for the Bisaya people of Malaysia, for 93,000 of them. Lord, please, these Muslim people group… Who don’t know the truth about Jesus. God, we pray that they would be reached with the good of your glory and your grace in the gospel. God, please cause the Bisaya people to know you as their portion… To inherit what you’ve made possible for them Jesus on the cross.
Oh, God, we pray all of this in light of your Word… Which we love in Jeremiah 51:15–19, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a Lead Pastor for McLean Bible Church. He is also the Founder of Radical, an organization that makes Jesus known among the 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, Don’t Hold Back, and How to Read the Bible.
He lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area with his wife and children.
