“And I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will feed you with knowledge and understanding. And when you have multiplied and been fruitful in the land in those days declares the Lord, they shall no more say the ark of the covenant of the Lord. It shall not come to mind or be remembered or missed. It shall not be made again. At that time, Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord in Jerusalem. And they shall no more stubbornly follow their own evil heart. In those days, the house of Judah shall join the house of Israel, and together they shall come from the land to the north, to the land that I gave your fathers for a heritage.”
– Jeremiah 3:15–18
What a promise? I want you to follow what you just heard in Jeremiah 3:15–18.
Basically the verses 16 through 18 describe this picture of blessing and multiplication and fruitfulness among God’s people, that a unity between the house of Judah and the house of Israel in ways that draw the nations, Jerusalem shall be called the throne of the Lord and all nations shall gather to it, to the presence of the Lord. They’re not stubbornly following their own evil hearts. They’re doing that which is good.
Jeremiah 3:15–18 Gives Us a Picture of God’s Blessing
This is a picture of blessing among God’s people, and listen to where it all starts, verse 15. “And I will give you shepherds after my own heart who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.” Wow, the turning point among God’s people. The point that brings about all of this blessing is when God gives his people, shepherds who are after his heart, who feed his people with knowledge and understanding. That is what leads to blessing and multiplication and glory for God among the nations.
I just want to lead us to pray. I know this will sound a bit selfish because I am a pastor, but to pray for pastors and leaders in the church. God, we pray that you would give us, you would raise up more and more and more pastors and leaders who will shepherd your people, lead your people after your own heart.
God, we pray for that in every one of our churches. We pray for those who are already leading, help every leader that’s coming into our mind right now to lead after your heart, not after their hearts, not with their ideas, their opinions, to lead according to your word, after your heart. God, please may it be so. We pray that you would give to your church more and more shepherds after your heart who will feed your people with knowledge and understanding.
Praying for Leaders in the Church
We pray that leaders in your church, and specifically pastors, elders, overseers would feed the sheep well with your word, that we would be in churches that feast on your word, that would be taught faithfully by the shepherds, by the leaders you have entrusted to the church.
We pray that flowing from this, there would be blessing among your people, multiplication of your glory here and among the nations, that there would be a beautiful unity around your word and the gospel of Jesus, and God, that many people would be drawn to you. God, we ask for this, we ask for shepherds, leaders like this, and we pray that we would experience this blessing that we see described here in Jeremiah 3:15–18. We ask for this in Jesus’ name, amen.
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.
