Although Judah was facing a seventy year exile in Babylon, the prophet Jeremiah sent them a message of encouragement from the Lord regarding the future of their families and their nation. God promised to return them to the land and to bless it, ultimately making it His habitation and a destination for all the nations of the world.
4 Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
6 For there shall be a day when watchmen will call
in the hill country of Ephraim:
‘Arise, and let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.’” Jeremiah 31:4,6 (ESV)
Years earlier, the prophet Isaiah had expanded upon the Lord’s vision for the future of His people and their land.
2 It shall come to pass in the latter days
that the mountain of the house of the Lord
shall be established as the highest of the mountains,
and shall be lifted up above the hills;
and all the nations shall flow to it,
3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Isaiah 2:2-3 (ESV)
I have traveled to this land one time in my life and seen the bounty and blessings that the Lord has bestowed on it. It was inspirational to look up at the stars on a clear night from the shores of the Sea of Galilee and realize that the One who put them there likely also walked on this very ground.
What really sticks in my memory from the visit, though, was the excitement some of my fellow travelers experienced as the plane was getting ready to land. They were bouncing up and down a bit on their seats, just like little kids about to go to an amusement park. Although they had been there several times before, to them, this land bore the unique stamp of God, and in their minds, they were about to set foot in His holy presence. They were alive and ready to learn more about His light, His love, and His ways. They desired to walk closer to Him and His paths.
What about us, today, where can we go to experience such times of excitement in the Lord’s presence?
The good news is that we do not have to go anywhere. We can stay right where we are, as He wants us to become more aware of His immense love for us. A love that totally forgives us, even when we have blatantly disobeyed Him. A burning love that looks upon us as if we were total innocents, because He has bestowed His perfect and holy innocence upon us.
The Lord’s loving presence will come to us in any of a countless number of ways: through a beautiful sunrise or sunset, the stars at night, a loving pet, a late season flower or butterfly, a hot and cleansing shower, hot chocolate, ice cream, a note or call from a friend, a delicious meal, a verse from His holy word that fills our spirit, or a comment through another that speaks directly to our heart – all of these ways and many more express the warmth of His love, something we have done nothing to deserve. He is a fountain of limitless grace, mercy, kindness, and affection for us. We may choose to run away from the Lord, but thank God, we can never escape His loving presence. He is nothing but goodness, love, and holy innocence, and He wants to share it all with us today, no matter how ugly we have been in our past (or present). He will hold no good thing back from us if we turn to Him.
Take a trip with Jesus today up to the mountain of the Lord. He is waiting there for us all to join Him.
Reflection
Can you think of a time when you were physically excited to be in the presence of the Lord? If so, where was it, and what were you doing? How did the Lord speak to or acknowledge His love for you?
Maybe you have not yet experienced the sweetness of the Lord’s presence. Do not despair. If this is something you seek, He will come to you, even today.
Father, we come to you in all of our grubbiness, including disobedience, selfishness, rudeness, anger, resentment, lust, greed, and pride, and ask that You remove all the dirt and wash us clean. We claim the loving sacrifice of Jesus on Cavalry as our anchor, and ask to be made holy and pure through Jesus’ death on the cross for us. May we also rise again one day, just as Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. Take us up to the mountain of the Lord, in the Spirit today, and in person, as we enter eternity with You. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Have a beautiful and blessed day in the Lord today.
Daily Meditations from the Genealogy of Jesus 