Day 4: God wants us to know His heart

Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them in My anger, in My fury, and in great wrath; I will bring them back to this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be My people, and I will be their God; then I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me forever, for the good of them and their children after them. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from doing them good; but I will put My fear in their hearts so that they will not depart from Me. Yes, I will rejoice over them to do them good, and I will assuredly plant them in this land, with all My heart and with all My soul. – Jeremiah 32:37–41 NKJV

In the last blog, we studied Jeremiah 32:41. Today we will look at the context of it.

Dean Bye, founder of Return Ministries, shares:

The first time Jeremiah 32:41 had an impact on me was in the 90s. I asked God, “Why aren’t you doing this with all your strength too?” We are called to love God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. As I waited, there was a pregnant pause. I sensed God saying, I could do it with all My strength, but I have raised up another people, who once were not My people, to do it (Romans 9:25). They will use their strength to bring My people home. He’s raised us Gentiles to bring His people home.

There aren’t a lot of Jews making Aliyah from North America. Sometimes God seems to answer our prayers quickly, and other times it seems like He will never answer them. Aliyah appears to be taking too long. Could God be waiting for more Gentiles to use our strength to accomplish His desires?

Study Jeremiah 32:37–41

• God had promised Abraham that he and his descendants would have the land of Israel forever. However, God drove His people out of the land of Israel because of their sins. The land, especially Jerusalem, was holy, but the people weren’t living holy lives.
• Today, the Jews are scattered to over one hundred nations that we know of; there could be many more. God gave many promises to the people if they obeyed His commands. But He also told them they would be cursed, if they didn’t obey His commands. See Deuteronomy 28 and 29.
• Even though they sinned, what did God promise them in verses 37–39?
• Why do you think God says “I will” so many times in this passage? Could it be that they didn’t believe Him because it seemed like He had abandoned them?
• Which of the “I will’s” stand out most? Which would encourage you the most?
• What does it mean to you that God did all of the above for the Jews even though they sinned against him and didn’t keep His covenant? How does that encourage you for how God will treat you?
• What does God promise in verse 40 and why?

Read Jeremiah 32:28–36 to see why God abandoned them for a time. What do you learn from these verses?

Meditate on verse 41 again, asking God to reveal more of His heart to you.

What is God saying to you through the Scriptures today?

A prayer to pray

Thank You, Lord that You are a covenant-making, covenant-keeping God. While You blinded Your beloved Israel due to their sin and poured out mercy on Your ‘other sheep,’ Your word promises that You will open your people’s eyes and cause them to know You are Lord. Teach us to extend mercy and love to Your people as we partner with You to help them make their Aliyah. Lord, I want to have Your heart for Your people and I want to partner with You.

Prayer points for today

• Ask God to soften His people’s hearts so they will repent and return to Him.
• Ask God how He wants you to pray and partner with Him to see His people brought back to Israel.
• Ask God for a fresh understanding of His heart for His people, so you can feel what He feels.

An action to take

Sign up for a weekly email from Return Ministries with numerous current prayer points for Israel and Aliyah. Email rev.joe.campbell@rogers.com to request to be on the list.