Anything But That

Anything But That

“Then Jeremiah the prophet said unto them, I have heard you; behold, I will pray unto the Lord your God according to your words; and it shall come to pass, that whatsoever thing the Lord shall answer you, I will declare it unto you; I will keep nothing back from you.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭42:4‬

Have you ever heard the response“..........anything but that”?

This is usually the response we give when we ask for something and we don’t like the answer.  We are presented with something other than what we wanted. We say we would do everything else but that one thing presented to us, it’s a conditional acceptance. 

For example, you ask your wife to make supper.  She says that she will make meatloaf, mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts. Your response to her when she asks about the brussel sprouts is, “I’ll eat anything but that”. 

It’s somewhat contradictory, to say that you’ll do everything and anything, except this one thing, because, well, you asked for it in the first place. 

That’s what happened in Jeremiah chapter 42. Jeremiah was asked to pray to God on behalf of Johanna, a captain of the army, for direction. Johana was getting ready to lead the people out of Judah and into Egypt and asked God for his direction. He didn’t ask for His advice. He had Jeremiah pray for an answer to a question. 

So Jeremiah prayed to God and asked for direction. God delayed his response to Jeremiah for ten days. God delayed in responding in the Bible probably to teach patience. However when he answered Jeremiah this is what He said,

“If ye will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up: for I repent me of the evil that I have done unto you. Be not afraid of the king of Babylon, of whom ye are afraid; be not afraid of him, saith the Lord: for I am with you to save you, and to deliver you from his hand.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭42:10-11‬

God answered and said he will build the people up, plant them and repent from them the things He had already done. God said He would save them and protect them. All they had to do was to stay put. They asked Jeremiah to pray for this direction. 

Unfortunately, Johana did not listen to what God wanted, and instead fled anyways, doing what he wanted and not listening to what God directed. It was pretty simple and direct - don’t go to Egypt. 

“The Lord hath said concerning you, O ye remnant of Judah; Go ye not into Egypt: know certainly that I have admonished you this day.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭42:19‬

And because of this God promised certain death. 

“And now I have this day declared it to you; but ye have not obeyed the voice of the Lord your God, nor any thing for the which he hath sent me unto you. Now therefore know certainly that ye shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, in the place whither ye desire to go and to sojourn.”

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭42:21-22‬

It is not wise to ask for Gods direction in your life and then only decide to follow it because it’s what you want. 

Your obedience to God is not conditional. You can’t give your conditions to obey God and expect that it will turn out well. 

Part of having faith in God is trusting what He wants for our life and that it will be pleasing to Him. The blessings we get for complete obedience are a reward for doing His Will. 

Be willing to pray to God and ask for His guidance and direction in your life, and when it is presented, follow it. This is the ultimate show of obedience. Accept the answer to your prayers even if it isn’t the desired outcome. 

Because honestly, who know better? You or God?

Have a blessed day.