Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Thus says the Lord: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who are prophesying to you, saying, ‘The vessels of the Lord’s house will soon be brought back from Babylon’, for they are prophesying a lie to you.”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, July 1, 2025
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
We are hearing so many lies right now. I mean, let’s be honest, we’ve always been fed lies. Chronically, inexorably, persistently, insidiously. About how we should look, what we should buy, who we should think highly of, and who we should disregard. About how money solves all problems. At the moment, these lies have been kicked up to such a fever pitch, and are being flung at us so quickly—and from places we are supposed to trust and rely on—that a lot of us just can’t catch our breath.
Jeremiah says to us: Do not listen to the words of the world, the false prophets who often claim to be followers of Jesus even as they push legislation that victimizes the marginalized while giving even more wealth to those who least need it. Do not listen to false hope, either—that was the crime of these prophets in Jeremiah. They were claiming that Jeremiah was just stirring up trouble in prophesying disaster at the hands of Babylon. That it would all just be okay—that God would fix everything, and soon. Do not listen to those prophets! Listen to this prophet when I tell you that we absolutely cannot just sit by and wait this out. Especially if we are privileged. We have to open our mouths, raise our voices, use our resources, move our bodies, take decisive actions to work to reverse the lies and the hatred spewing out of our current administration and the media sympathetic to them. We have to act in compassion for those most affected, and throw our support (and our resources) behind those who are on the front lines, demanding accountability, demanding basic human decency! God loves us so unbelievably much, but God’s not going to just step in and fix this. We need to work in partnership with our God to bring about God’s vision of justice and equity to every single human being without exception.
Where can I put my faith into action against false prophets?
