3 Days of Prayer and Fasting (2018/08)

Jeremiah 8:4-11; 9:23-24 (ESV)

8:4 “You shall say to them, Thus says the LORD: When men fall, do they not rise again? If one turns away, does he not return? 5 Why then has this people turned away in perpetual backsliding? They hold fast to deceit; they refuse to return. 6 I have paid attention and listened, but they have not spoken rightly; no man relents of his evil, saying, ‘What have I done?’ Everyone turns to his own course, like a horse plunging headlong into battle. 7 Even the stork in the heavens knows her times, and the turtledove, swallow, and crane keep the time of their coming, but my people know not the rules of the LORD. 8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us’? But behold, the lying pen of the scribes has made it into a lie. 9 The wise men shall be put to shame; they shall be dismayed and taken; behold, they have rejected the word of the LORD, so what wisdom is in them? 10 Therefore I will give their wives to others and their fields to conquerors, because from the least to the greatest everyone is greedy for unjust gain; from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely. 11 They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.

…

9:23 Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.”

Day 1: Loving God

Read: Jeremiah 8:4-11; 9:23-24

Reflect:

Even though the people of Judah had rejected the Word of the LORD by their disobedience, they wrongly believed that their mere possession of the Law of God made them “wise.” But having a book on your shelf doesn’t mean that you have learned and applied its contents. Are there Scriptural teachings that you are ignoring or disobeying? What is the primary source of your “wisdom”? Podcasts, blogs, TV? Do you give primacy to God’s Word in your learning diet? In 9:23-24, the classic human boasts of “wisdom,” “might,” and “riches” are contrasted with boasting in God’s “steadfast love,” “justice,” and “righteousness.” The truly wise do not boast in their wisdom, but in the LORD. In what ways are you tempted to boast in man’s “wisdom,” “might,” or “riches”? Which of these appeal to you the most?

Pray:

Day 2: Loving One Another

Read: Jeremiah 8:4-11; 9:23-24

Reflect:

God has called each of us to our respective ministries and spheres of influence within the church. When you have an opportunity to speak into another Christian brother or sister’s life, do you heal their wounds lightly, saying “Peace, peace,” when there is no peace? Or do you make known both the great demands and the great comforts of the gospel?

Pray:

Day 3: Loving Our Neighbors

Read: Jeremiah 8:4-11; 9:23-24

Reflect:

When we are walking along the road and we trip and fall, we get up and start walking again, we don’t remain on the ground. Similarly, when we are driving and we take a wrong turn, we turn ourselves around and get back on the right road, we don’t keep going in the wrong direction. But this is the folly of sin—that sinners “refuse to turn” but “turn away in perpetual backsliding.” When we see those who are going in the wrong direction, we would redirect them, yet, are we redirecting those who do not yet know Christ and are going headlong in the wrong direction? Are you convinced of the truth of the saving message of Jesus Christ? Do you care enough about people to share this with them?

Pray: