Welcome to today’s Daily Devotional. In Jeremiah 7 and 8, we encounter a stark portrayal of divine pleading amid human rebellion. As we navigate through these passages, a pressing question emerges: does God hear our prayers? Read about more about God hearing our prayers in Jeremiah 6.
Jeremiah’s words, penned centuries ago, still resonate with relevance today. Reflecting on past entries, we confront the reality of human defiance and God’s persistent call to repentance.
In the midst of Israel’s disobedience, Jeremiah’s urgent appeals urge us to evaluate our own lives. Are we walking in obedience to God’s commands, or are we straying into rebellion?
Today, we will cover Jeremiah 7 and 8. The charges against Israel mount up until God will not even hear the prayers of Jeremiah. Does God hear your prayers? Please read the thirty-four verses in Jeremiah 7 and the twenty-two verses in Jeremiah 8.
Commentary Jeremiah 7 and Jeremiah 8 by Allen J. Huth
Because of the length of the reading, I will summarize my journals very quickly. Beginning with 1991, I wrote, “God’s judgment comes upon those who reject Him. He has given us standards to live by through His Word, yet we go our own way, causing us problems.”
In 2004, I wrote, “Jeremiah is instructed not to pray for Judah. How far do we have to go before God will not even listen to our prayers for people anymore?” Then I wrote, “We look like they did. Lies, not truth, prevail in the land.”
God Asks for Our Obedience
And in 2016, I wrote, “Going to church does not make us Christians. Jeremiah is standing at the temple doors denouncing those who enter as hypocrites. God has had enough. He will not even hear Jeremiah’s prayer for people anymore. God asks for obedience, but we refuse.
He continually sends messengers, prophets with the message, but we will not hear. No one listens to Jeremiah either. Truth perishes when we will not hear God. People turn away from God. They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return. Everyone turns to his own course. They have rejected the Word of God therefore, God will punish.”
Jeremiah 7:3 Avoiding God’s Punishment
To avoid God’s punishment, what does Jeremiah and the Lord instruct us to do today? “Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will let you dwell in this place” (7:3). Secondly, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people. And walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you” (7:23). I would rather do those things than suffer the wrath and the punishment of God. How about you?
God Please Hear My Prayers
Lord, keep me from getting so far gone that You will not even hear my prayers anymore. Help me, Lord. Keep me from being stubborn and rebellious towards You or Your Word. Keep me from turning to my own course and rejecting Yours.
Forgive me, Lord, if I have grieved You. By reading the warnings of Jeremiah, Lord, I am hearing Your Word. I am coming back to You. Open Your arms, Father and receive me. Forgive me as I confess my unfaithfulness to You. Once again Lord, wrap Your arms around me. Hold me close. I love You. Amen.
