Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not (Jeremiah 33:3).
I was thinking about this verse yesterday evening and decided to read it in context and, although I have read through the book of Jeremiah previously, was a little surprised with what I read there in the first 11 verses or so.
Jeremiah 33:3 is one of those verse we like to quote because it is encouraging and challenging at the same time, but like so many things that can become too familiar, sometimes we miss the big picture and the higher purpose.
(continue reading below the picture)
I encourage you to read Jeremiah 33 for yourself but for now, lets just take a brief look at the context.
The first verse reveals that Jeremiah was in prison (for preaching the truth) when the Lord gave him this message. First, God reminded the prophet of the character and power of the God he served.
Thus saith the LORD the maker thereof, the LORD that formed it, to establish it; the LORD is his name;
Then, after this all-important reminder of Who is in charge, God says,
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
We tend to quote that verse but miss the context in which God gave this wonderful promise. In verses 6-8, God promises to heal and restore His people AND to cleanse them and forgive them of all their sins. Verse 9 reveals why God so desired to do this for His people...
And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.
It is important to note that the context here is not that of salvation, but of return, of coming back (v 7).
Again there shall be heard in this place... The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the voice of them that shall say, Praise the Lord of hosts: for the Lord is good; for his mercy endureth for ever... (v 10 -11).
Even preachers tend to think that revival comes through evangelism. The preaching of the gospel brings the dead to life. It doesn't revive those who have already passed from death unto life.
In 1927, B.B. McKinney wrote a song that expressed his desire for revival...
Send a revival, O Christ, my Lord,
Let it go over the land and sea.
Send it according to Thy dear Word,
And let it begin in me.
Lord, send a revival,
Lord, send a revival,
Lord, send a revival,
And let it begin in me.
Send a revival among Thine own,
Help us to turn from our sins away.
Let us draw near to the Father's throne,
Revive us again, we pray.
Lord, send a revival,
Lord, send a revival,
Lord, send a revival,
And let it begin in me.
Want to see revival in our land, in our time? Real revival takes place in the hearts of the people of God. When the Spirit of God moves upon His people, bringing them back, returning their hearts to the Son (the Bridegroom) - back to their first love - to serve Him alone, it brings the Father honor, praise and joy!
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
{Daily Selah} is a mini-devotional, a pause to ponder about the Lord and how He wants us to live.
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