Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Yet you, O Lord God, have said to me, ‘Buy the field for money and get witnesses’—though the city has been given into the hands of the Chaldeans.”
NL Daily Devotion for Saturday, February 24, 2024
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
Sometimes faith in God makes no logical sense. “Jeremiah, buy this field even though the city is about to be taken over and you’ll lose everything, but put the deed in an earthenware jar so it lasts a long time, and then when the Chaldeans are gone, you’ll still own the land.” It was a way of saying that the conquest by the Chaldeans wouldn’t last forever. But it was still requiring of Jeremiah an act of faith which must have seemed ridiculous to him, who was the one predicting conquest by the Chaldeans! (I encourage you to read the entire passage on this one. It’s interesting!)
I have had moments in my life when I’ve needed to take an action that didn’t seem to make much sense in the short term. Laid out in front of me, it looked as though I would put myself into a position of hardship—financially and emotionally. But I could see that there really weren’t any other options, and I felt that God was saying to me, “Just do it. I’m here. This crisis won’t last forever, and on the far side, you will have what you need.” So, like Jeremiah, I “invested in a field,” which seemed ridiculous, but followed the prompts for long-term planning (such as keeping the lease in a jar), and in the end, my “investment” paid off. Trust (and lots of research and support) is a powerful thing. God knows what God is doing, even when we don’t.
When have I taken a risk that seemed to make no sense out of faith? What was the result?
