Our Jealous God

“I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and a mighty arm in anger and fury and great wrath” –Jeremiah 21:5.

When I do my devotions in the mornings, I usually look for a special positive verse that would encourage me throughout the day. However, this morning I was reading through Jeremiah 21, and well, it is one of those “doom and gloom” chapters of the Old Testaments where it is hard to draw in for an encouragement, at least for me. But, the Lord has pressed upon my heart to trust Him and write down verse 5. After, I’ve done a couple of cross referencing, I became interested because I was as confused as can be. So, I called my husband over and asked him why I’ve always believed that God would never harm His children and yet this verse strongly stated that He would fight against the nation of Israel with His outstretched hand.

“Well, He disciplined them because He loved them?” he said without hesitation, and left the room.

Well, that was easy for him to say. He’s a minister. He studied the Bible. And, isn’t that what ministers usually say anyway. You know, stay positive. Support God and you can’t go wrong. I shook my head and read on more verses. I found myself praying this prayer: "Lord, thank You so much for taking such great interest in me, that You would go to such great lengths to save me from destructions. In Jesus’ name, Amen. "

I was stunned. That was my message. God loves me so much, He would do whatever it takes to bring me back to Him. Even if He has to cause me to feel pain and loss in order to bring me back to Him. After all, the Bible does say God is a jealous God.

This reminded me of a time when I wondered whether my husband loved me. He certainly didn’t show any envy or affection. And, when I asked him why he was so confident I wasn’t going to do him no harm that he would not show any sign of jealousy like other men. His response was I was in the hand of God. If I didn’t fear God and I do wrong I would be the one having to deal with God. Although I agreed with him, I still wondered if he loved me at all because there was no sign of jealousy in our relationship, at least on his side.

Unlike my husband, God doesn’t want us to wonder if He loves us at all. That’s why the Bible clearly states that Our God is a jealous God. He wants our affections and devotions. He wants our total attention, total reverence to Him, and total love for Him. Therefore, He urges us to stay focused on the cross so we won’t go astray. I am so glad God has made me realize just how much He loves me by showing me Jeremiah 21:5. He went as far as sacrificing His own Son for me (and you) so that I can live to share with y’all this little message today. Isn’t that awesome?

Father God, You are always awesome, always mighty, always loving, always merciful and compassionate. Thank You for loving us and sharing Your heart with us today. In Jesus’ name, Amen.