Jeremiah 42:1-22 Abiding in God’s Will

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Abiding in God’s Will
Jeremiah 42:1-22
April 18-19, 2026

Meanwhile, back in Jeremiah, we pick up the story where we left off. At this point, all the warnings of Jeremiah had come to pass. Over and over he warned them that turning their backs on God and pursuing the gods of the world would end in disaster for the nation of Israel and for them personally.

That’s exactly what happened. Jerusalem, the city of David, the place where God had chosen to put His name, now lay in ruins. The Temple, the very dwelling place of God’s glory, was burned to the ground. The majority of the people of Judah were marched off in chains to Babylon where they would remain as exiles for 70 years.

The story of Jeremiah 42, however, is about the small, traumatized remnant that remained in the land. How many were there? A few hundred? A few thousand? They had hidden themselves in caves and deserted places and came together to consolidate whatever they had and to strengthen what remained.

The back story to this chapter is that just days earlier, their newly appointed governor, Gedaliah, the Judean leader who Nebuchadnezzar had chosen to bring some order and stability – was brutally assassinated by a man named Ishmael who was a descendent of King David. We can surmise that perhaps he was motivated by jealousy and pride. Perhaps he felt he had a stronger claim to leadership than Gedaliah.

It was also a conspiracy. Ishmael was backed by a foreign enemy – the king of Ammon on the other side of the Jordan, who wanted to hinder any possible strength in Jerusalem.

With their leader Gedaliah killed, fear spread like wildfire through the remnant. They were terrified that when the news reached Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar would send his army back with overwhelming force and destroy them all.

But there is a detail in the back story that we must not miss. They must think about their next move. What should they do? They needed to formulate a plan. If they remained where they were, they were afraid that Nebuchadnezzar would retaliate. After all, he was the one who appointed Gedaliah. And not only that, but Ishmael and his men killed the few Babylonian soldiers assigned to protect him.

Should they stay, or should they go to Egypt, far from the wrath of Babylon; or so they thought. Verse 17 of the previous chapter tells us everything we need to know. “And they went and stayed at Geruth Chimham, which is near Bethlehem …in order to proceed to Egypt.” They had set the course; the decision was made.

And yet, they came to Jeremiah and said, “Please pray for us to the Lord, your God… that the LORD your God may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.”

On the surface it sounded so sincere. But the truth was far more sobering. They were not genuinely seeking God’s will. They were seeking God’s blessing and favor on the plan they already made. They wanted divine approval for their decision to run to Egypt.

This is one of the most common and dangerous spiritual traps people fall into as believers. And today, the Holy Spirit wants to speak to every one of us personally and lovingly through this passage.

Here is the message God wants us to see from this chapter; abiding in God’s will is the only safe place, the only place of true blessing, the only place of genuine peace and fulfillment — even when His will feels unpleasant, difficult, or completely opposite to what we want.

This chapter is not merely ancient history. It is a mirror held up to our own hearts. How many times have we come to God in crisis and said, “Lord, show me Your will,” while secretly hoping He would simply confirm the direction we had already chosen? How often have we promised, “I’ll obey no matter what,” only to pull back the moment God’s answer required real sacrifice or real effort or discomfort?

The verses in this chapter will comfort us, but will also challenge us, and call us higher into a life of joyful, trusting obedience. We are going to see that God’s will is not a burden to be endured — it is the pathway to the greatest blessing, the deepest peace, and the most abundant life we could ever know.

Even if God says “no,” even if He says “stay,” even if His direction seems unpleasant — abiding in His will is always the place of greatest blessing. Because where God is, there is life. Where God directs, there is hope. Where God leads, there is mercy.

I. Seek God’s Will with an Open Heart

They started out well. They asked Jeremiah to pray for them, that the Lord would tell them the way they should walk and the thing they should do.
Yes, they had already made a plan. But they asked God to answer and direct their steps.
We can relate to this. How many have essentially said to the Lord, “This is what I think is best, but I want to hear from You, Lord. I don’t want to go with my plan if you have a better one.”
That part is right. That’s the right way to pray. The main thing is to ask God to direct your steps and ordain your way… according to His plan.

A. Surrender your plan… and wait

Notice that all the people came…both great and small, and said to Jeremiah, “Pray and ask God in our behalf.”
Leaders and common people alike gathered together in what appears to be a moment of shared humility. They recognized that they did not have the answers. They recognized that they were in over their heads. And so they came to the prophet of God for direction.
This where genuine seeking of God’s will must begin — on our knees with empty hands and open hearts. Desperate dependence is the soil in which God’s direction grows.

The key is to surrender your plan. “Father, not my will, but Your will be done.”

Matthew 26:36-39, Jesus came with them to Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go and pray.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And he went a little beyond them and fell on His face and prayed, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but Your will be done.”

You may have a deep request, “Lord, this is what I’m asking; if there is any way, please let this or that be done …but I surrender my plan to yours. Not my will, but Your will be done.”
In Jeremiah 42, the people who came to Jeremiah already had a plan; and they came to the prophet to ask for a word from the Lord. That’s not the issue. The issue is whether they were truly willing to abide in God’s will when they heard it.
How do you know if you have truly surrendered your plan? If you can say as they said in verse 5…
Verse 5 – Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lord your God will send you to us.”
This was the right answer. In other words, “We will do whatever God says we should do.”

Luke 6:46, “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ if you do not do what I say?”

B. Whether pleasant or unpleasant

Verse 6 – “…Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, in order that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.”
This is one of the most powerful verses in the bible on abiding in God’s will. Abiding in God’s will means to stay there under the cover of God’s will even when His will is unpleasant or difficult.
Many say they want God’s will-until it costs them something. Until it’s difficult. Until it means saying ‘no’ to something they really wanted. Until it means waiting longer than their patience runs.
Hear that verse again because it captures one of the greatest truths of obedience to God… “Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, in order that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.”
Notice… “that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.”
That is wisdom itself. God knows the path of greatest blessing. Don’t miss out on that blessing by insisting on your own way, your own path, your own charted course.

Proverbs 14:12, There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.

C. When God says ‘no’ – He has something better

We know from the previous chapter that they had already formulated their plan. They were afraid that Nebuchadnezzar would send his army to retaliate against them even though it wasn’t their fault, they weren’t the ones who attacked the Babylonian soldiers. But their fear determined the path.
We certainly understand fear. It is the natural condition in which man is born. But fear and fear alone should not determine the course.
Verse 11 – “Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,” declares the Lord, “for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand.”

2 Timothy 1:7, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and a sound mind.

God’s plan was better and if they would listen to His voice, it would go well for them.
In other words, God was saying ‘no’ to their plan because He had a better plan. This is faith itself to believe that if God says no, he has a better plan in mind for you.

Illus – When I was in my 20s God opened the door for me to be youth leader at a church. I had been co-owner of a restaurant, but God opened a door to ministry and ministry was my heart. I wanted to be a pastor since I was 11. I kept my partnership in the restaurant, however, and that comes into the story. After a time, I realized that if I was going to be a senior pastor, I would need a good bible education. But how to pay for it? It was extremely expensive. I came up with my own clever plan, and I then prayed and asked God to bless my plan. God said ‘no.’ …But then God moved in ways I could never have known. His way was truly better.

II. Abiding in God’s Will Requires Faith

Abiding in God’s will requires faith to believe that God’s way is better than your way and that if you listen to the voice of the Lord that it will go well for you, that God knows the way of greatest blessing. That requires faith.
I have recently been emphasizing the importance of wisdom – that wisdom is the ability to see; the ability to predict the outcome.
Foolishness is opposite, it cannot see the consequences and doesn’t care about the consequences.
Here, the Lord speaks through Jeremiah and specifically tells them the outcome of listening to the Lord and abiding in God’s will.
Verses 10, 12 – “If you will indeed stay in this land, I will build you up… I will plant you…I will show you compassion… and restore you to your own soil”

A. Wait …patiently …for the Lord

Verse 7 – “It came about at the end of ten days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah…”
God often makes us wait. It’s a principle of the Lord that we should wait on the Lord. God accomplishes much in the waiting.

Lamentations 3:25-26, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him… It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.”

If you are in a waiting season right now, don’t despise it. Some of the greatest growth in the Christian life happens in the waiting. God is not late. He is not silent. He is doing a deep work in you while you wait.
We live in a culture that values immediacy. We want answers now. We want clarity now. We want resolution now. But God often works differently. He often calls us to wait.
And waiting is not passive. It is not inactivity. Waiting is an active posture of trust. It is a willingness to remain where God has placed us while we seek His face and trust His timing. “The Lord is good to those who wait.”
Waiting has a way of revealing what is truly in our hearts. It exposes whether we are willing to trust God or whether we are simply looking for a quick solution. It strips away self-reliance and teaches us dependence. It is often in the waiting that God does His deepest work in us.

Isaiah 40:31, Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not faint.

Isaiah uses the picture of an eagle in flight to speak of those who wait as gaining new strength to mount up as with the wings of eagles, who soar high, riding on the currents that lift them.
In other words, it’s not about self-reliance or self-effort. It’s not about beating the air like so much desperation — but waiting on God to move.

Psalm 46:10, “Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”

Striving in oneself is the picture of someone thinking he can pull himself up by his own bootstraps; or that by his own self effort he can win the battles of life.
This is vanity, God says. This is emptiness itself. Cease all this striving and know that He is a great God.
Striving can also mean the worries, fears, anxieties, the soul that is disturbed within you.
To wait in God in times of trouble speaks of a heart that is at peace with God. It is as though you are saying, “I know my God. I know how He moves. He is my refuge and my strength. I will not allow my heart to be troubled within me.”
In other words, cease striving, do not be anxious, or fearful, or taken captive by doubt. Let all such worries and fears and striving cease.
Let this be settled in your heart; be still and know that He is God.
Wait on the Lord and do not let your heart be discouraged. Those who wait in the Lord will gain new strength. They will rise up with wings like eagles.
Those in Babylon would wait 70 years. They waited 10 days and still they would not abide in God’s will.

Psalm 27:14, Wait for the Lord; be strong and let your heart take courage; yes, wait for the Lord.

B. Don’t go back to Egypt

Verse 13-14 – “But if you say, ‘We will not listen to the voice of the Lord your God,’ saying, ‘No, but we will go to the land of Egypt.’ Then hear the word of the Lord…”
God then tells them the outcome. They don’t need wisdom to discern the outcome; God is telling them outright. “The very thing you fear that is driving you to disregard the voice of the Lord is the very thing you are walking right into. You will die there by sword, by famine and by pestilence.”
Egypt, throughout Scripture, represents the world. It represents a place of false security, a place where people turn when they are not willing to trust God fully. It is the place of human solutions apart from divine direction.
And one of the most subtle dangers in the Christian life is the temptation to go back to Egypt. It often begins with looking back. You begin to think about the past. You remember what seemed easier. You remember what seemed more comfortable. But your memories are selective. You remember the benefits, but you forget the bondage.
The children of Israel did this in the wilderness. They longed for the leeks and onions of Egypt, but they forgot the slavery. And sometimes Christians do the same thing. The enemy will remind you of the pleasures of the world, but he never reminds you of the pain that came with it.
Abiding in God’s will is not always easy — but it is always good. It is the place of greatest blessing, deepest peace, and truest safety.
Today the Lord is asking each of us: Will you abide in My will — whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, easy or difficult? Will you trust that I know the path to your greatest blessing better than you do?
Some of you have been asking God for direction while secretly hoping He will bless the plan you already made. Today is the day to lay that down.
Others already know what God has said, but fear is tempting you to run back to Egypt. Hear the loving voice of your Shepherd: “Stay with Me. I am with you to save you and deliver you. I have something better for you here.”
“Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God, that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.”

Abiding in God’s Will
Jeremiah 42:1-22
April 18-19, 2026

Let's take our Bibles and open to the book of Jeremiah. We are going to get back to Jeremiah 42:1, and the title of our message, Abiding in God's Will. Very important, what he has for us. Very, very important. Let's pray and receive from God's Word together. Lord, we are so thankful because we know that You show us the way of life, the way of blessing. In Your Word, You show that to us. We open our heart and just pray that You would pour out Your Spirit of life through Your Word. Meet us here by Your Holy Spirit. Show us the way of blessing in life. We pray in Jesus' name. Everyone said amen.

Meanwhile, back in Jeremiah, it seemed like it's been a while, we picked the story up where we left off. As I've been speaking, Jeremiah, of course, has been calling the people to revival because they had turned their back on God, pursued the gods of the world, and he warned them over and over, this thing is going to end in disaster nationally and personally. Now it's happened. This is now exactly what happened.

Jerusalem, the city of David, the place where God chose to put His name there, it was in ruins. The temple burnt, the dwelling place of God's glory destroyed, the majority of Judah marched off in chains to Babylon to be in exile those 70 years. Jeremiah 42 is about the remnant that remained, a small traumatized remnant that remained in the land. We don't know how many there were, very few, a few hundred, a few thousand, we don't know.

They were the ones that had hid out in caves and desert places, and now they're coming together to consolidate whatever they got, strengthen whatever remains. The backstory here is very important. The backstory is that just days before the events of chapter 42, that they had a newly appointed governor. This was a Judean by the name of Gedaliah that Nebuchadnezzar himself appointed to be the governor, you might say, of that area.

He was assassinated by a man named Ishmael who was a descendant of David. Now we can surmise what perhaps motivated him. He was a distant relative of David. Perhaps he thought that he had a stronger claim to leadership than Gedaliah, but we know that it was also a conspiracy. Ishmael was backed by a foreign enemy. The king of Ammon, on the other side of the Jordan, had conspired with Ishmael to assassinate this governor to hinder any possible arising of strength.

Now with their leader killed, fear, now as you can imagine, spreading like wildfire through this remnant that remained, they were terrified that when this news reached Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon that he would send his army right back with overwhelming force and destroy them all. Now there is this detail of the backstory that we must not miss. They have come to a crux point, a decision point. What shall we do now?

This is important because many people come to a place in their lives when they've got to decide, what am I going to do now? They needed to formulate a plan. Many people have to formulate a plan. What am I going to do next? If they remain there in that area, they were afraid Nebuchadnezzar would retaliate. After all, he was the one who had appointed Gedaliah, and not only did Ishmael kill Gedaliah, but also the few Babylonian soldiers that were there to protect him. They died also, so they knew that the Babylonian king would not take kindly to all this.

If they stay, they were fearing danger. Legitimate fear. It's legitimate. It's legitimate. What do you do? Do we stay, or do we flee? Do we go to Egypt? Maybe we can go to Egypt, and then we would be safe, or so they thought. This is important. When you come to a decision point in your life, how do you decide? One of the ways that you decide is by predicting the outcome. Wisdom is necessary to predict the outcome. If I do this, then it could lead to that outcome. If I do this, it could lead to this outcome.

To be able to predict that is a deep aspect of wisdom, but they must seek the Lord. This is the good part of the story. Now, they have to decide. What's interesting, and the backstory, the verses before this in the last chapter, chapter 41:17, tells us that they had gathered together at this place called Geruth Chimham, which is near Bethlehem. It says, "In order to proceed to Egypt." Okay. All right, they have made up their mind. They have made the decision that they think the better course is to get out of the danger and go to Egypt.

They had made their mind, but they came to Jeremiah and said, "Jeremiah, pray for us. Pray to the Lord your God that the Lord may show us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do." This is good. Factor God into the equation. Factor God into the decision. This is good. Now, on the surface, it sounded so sincere. It was the right thing to say. The truth was more sobering. They were not genuinely seeking God. They wanted God to bless the plan they already made.

Now, here's where people can relate to this. They wanted divine approval on their decision they already made. This is not how you factor God into the equation. Now, this is one of the most common and dangerous spiritual traps for people to fall into as believers. Today, the Holy Spirit will use this chapter to speak to every one of us about decision-making and abiding in the will of God, and abiding in the will of God.

Here is the message God wants us to see from this chapter, that abiding in God's will is the only safe place. The only place of true blessing. The only place of genuine peace and fulfillment, even if His will seems unpleasant or difficult or completely opposite of what you may want. This chapter is not just about history. It's a mirror to our own hearts because so many people come to a crux point and got to decide, what am I going to do?

How many times have we come to a crisis point and said, "Lord, show me Your will," while secretly hoping that He would simply confirm the direction we had already chosen? How many have often promised, "I will obey You, Lord, no matter what," only to pull that promise back the moment God's answer required real sacrifice or real effort or real discomfort? The verses in this chapter are comforting, but also challenging, but also insightful for wisdom.

We need to know how to decide. How many decisions are you going to make in life? The crux points, the hinge points on which your whole life will turn, you must decide well. This is a great chapter. It calls us to a life of trusting obedience. We're going to see that God's will-- Isn't that a burden? No, God's will is the pathway of greatest blessing, deepest peace, the most abundant life that you could ever know. It's right there in God's will.

The key is to abide in God's will. For even if God says no, even if He says stay, even if His direction seems unpleasant, abiding in His will is the place of greatest blessing. Because where God is, there is life. Where God directs, there is hope. Where God leads, there is mercy. All right, I want to read chapter 42. It's a fascinating story, and then we'll look at how God would apply it to our lives. Chapter 42:1.

"Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan, son of Kareah, Jezaniah, son of Hoshaiah, and all the people, small and great, approached and said to Jeremiah the prophet, please let our petition come before you, pray for us to the Lord your God, that is, for all this remnant, because we who are left are just a few, a few out of many, as your own eyes now see, pray that the Lord your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.

So Jeremiah the prophet said to them, I heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the Lord your God in accordance with your words, and it will come about that the whole message which the Lord will answer, I will tell it to you. I will not keep back one word. So they said to Jeremiah," now I want you to hear these words because they are really good. This is really good. If this chapter ended differently, this is a chapter you would put on your wall as a highlight of what is right, how to say the right thing.

Verse 5, they say, "May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lord your God will send you to us. Whether that message is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you in order that it may go well with us. When we listen to the voice of the Lord our God. So it came about that at the end of 10 days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah.

Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah, all the commanders of the forces that were there, all the people, small and great, and he said, thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before him." This is what he says. Verse 10, "If you will indeed stay in this land, I will build you up. I will not tear you down. I shall relent concerning the calamity I have inflicted on you." This will end. "Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing. Do not be afraid, for I am with you to save you, deliver you from his hands. I will show you compassion so that he will have compassion on you and will restore you to your own soil."

That is a great answer. What a promise of God. But yes, we have to say the rest of it. "But if you are going to say, we will not stay in this land so as to not listen to the voice of the Lord your God, if you say, no, we will go to the land of Egypt where we will not see war or hear the sound of the trumpet or hunger of bread, we are going to stay there. In that case, then listen to the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, If you truly set your mind to enter Egypt, to go and reside there, it will come about that that sword which you are so afraid of will overtake you there. It will find you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine about which you are so anxious, it will follow you closely after you there in Egypt. You are going to die there. All the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by sword, by famine, or by pestilence.

They will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity which I'm going to bring on them. For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, as my anger and wrath poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out on you when you go there to Egypt. You will become a curse, an object of horror, an implication, a reproach, and you will see this place no more. The Lord spoke to you, O remnant of Judah, saying, do not go to Egypt." You should clearly understand that today. "I have testified this against you, for you have only deceived yourselves."

He could see it. He knew what they were thinking. "You have only deceived yourselves, for it is you who sent me to the Lord your God say, pray for us. Pray to the Lord our God. Then you said, whatever the Lord our God says, tell us, and we will do it. You said that. So I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the Lord your God, even in whatever He has sent me to tell you. Therefore, you should now clearly understand that you will die by the sword, by famine, by pestilence, in that place where you are going to go to reside."

I. Seek God’s Will with an Open Heart

All right. What a very important chapter. I tell you, there's a lot for us to be taking hold of and applying, starting with this. Seek God's will. It's right. Seek God's will, but when you seek God's will, do it with an open heart. Now, they started out so well. They asked Jeremiah to pray for them. Right. Great. They had already made a plan. Now, I want to point out that starting out by making a plan is not necessarily wrong. That in itself is not wrong. Okay, they came up with a plan. Then they asked God to show us the way. Now, this is all okay. It's all right.

How many can relate to this? How many have said to the Lord, essentially, this is what I think is best, but I want to hear from you, Lord. Don't go with my plan, Lord. If you get a better plan, I want your plan rather than my plan. Now, see, there's nothing wrong with having a plan, but the key is when you go to the Lord and say, if you get a better one, I want yours. This is important. For example, David. Remember King David? David wanted to build the Temple. He had it in his heart, "I got a plan."

David wanted to build something glorious for the Lord, a great temple, glorious he wanted to build. He went to the Lord to ask. When you go to the Lord, you ask with an open heart. In other words, surrender your plan and then wait. Surrender your plan and wait. There's nothing wrong with saying it. I tell you, I prayed it myself. I prayed, "Lord, this is what I think is best. This is what I think is best. You show me what you say." You surrender your plan and then wait.

A. Surrender your plan… and wait

Notice that all the people came, both small and great, and they said to Jeremiah, pray and ask God. Leaders, common people alike, gathered together in what appears to be a moment of shared humility. It's all right. Most of this chapter is so good. They recognized that they were over their heads. They were in danger, so they came to the prophet to ask. If there is genuine seeking of God's will, desperate dependence, that is the soil in which God's direction will come. The key is to surrender your plan.

It's like this, "Father, not my will, but Your will be done." Does that sound familiar? Yes, that's exactly what the Lord Jesus said. This comes out of Matthew 26:36-39, the night in which Jesus was betrayed. It says, "Jesus came with them," the disciples, "To Gethsemane, on the other side there of the Kidron," just there across Jerusalem. "And he said to the disciples, sit here while I go and pray. He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, James and John. He began to be grieved and distressed.

He said to them, my soul is deeply grieved to the point of death. Remain here, keep watch with me. He went a little beyond them, fell on his face, and he prayed this prayer. Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me." Very interesting prayer. "Lord, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me, yet not my will, but Your will be done." What a beautiful expression of obedience, complete obedience. You may have a deep request. Lord, this is what I'm asking.

That's perfectly fine. Lord, this is what I'm asking. If there's any way, then let this or that be done, but I surrender my plan to You. This is the key to the whole thing right here. I surrender my plan to You. If You have a better plan, I want Your plan. Anybody want to agree with this? It's very important in deciding. Jeremiah 42, the people came to Jeremiah. Yes, they already had a plan. They're asking from the Lord a word. That's not the issue. The issue is whether they will truly be willing to abide by God's will when they hear it.

How do you know if you've truly surrendered your plan? It's if you can say what they said and mean it. Notice verse 5, they said, "May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lord your God will send us to you." this is the right answer. "We will do whatever God says we will do." This is the right answer. The Lord Himself said in Luke 6:46, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, if you do not do what I say?" This is the understanding of deep lordship, that His word is authority and wisdom itself.

B. Whether pleasant or unpleasant

Notice then in the next verse they say, "Whether pleasant or unpleasant." This is so right. Verse 6, "Whether it be pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you in order that it may go well with us when we do listen to the voice of the Lord." I tell you, this is one of the most powerful verses in the Bible in regards to abiding in God's will. I don't know if you can find a better verse in abiding in God's will.

Abiding in God's will means to stay there under the cover of God's will even if it be unpleasant or difficult. Meaning, say they want God's will until it costs them something, until it's difficult, until it means saying no to something that they really wanted. Nobody likes to hear no. Try saying no to your kids. They don't like no. Hear that verse again because I tell you it captures one of the greatest truths of obedience to God.

"We will hear, we will listen, we will abide whether it be pleasant or unpleasant. We will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we're sending you," notice, "In order that it may go well with us when we listen." That's so right. "It will go well with us when we listen." This is wisdom itself. God knows the path of greatest blessing. Don't miss out on that blessing by insisting on your own way, your own path, charting your own course.

As the famous American philosopher Frank Sinatra once said, "I did it my way." Well, he's saying it really, "I did it my way. I charted my course each and every by way. At the end of it all, I did it my way." He's very proud of this, of course. Proverbs 14:12, "There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. We need to see beyond our own limited vision. There is a way. Seems right. This is why when you pray, you say, "God, this seems right to me. I think this is the right. I'm asking for your wisdom. Don't let me do this if you've got a better plan."

C. When God says ‘no’ – He has something better

In other words, when God says no, he's got something better. This is one of the lessons of life. Life lesson. When God says no, he's got something better in mind. Now, they formulated the plan. We know already they were afraid that Nebuchadnezzar would send his army, retaliate, even though it wasn't their fault, by the way. They weren't the ones that attacked the Babylonian soldiers. They didn't do that. They were innocent in this thing, but their fear was real, and fear determined the path.

Now, we understand fear. Hey, we were born in the condition of man. That's the condition in which we were born, and that is the nature of fear. We get it, but fear and fear alone should not determine the course. If fear and fear is the only thing that's driving you, then you're not making a decision by God's wisdom. 2nd Timothy 1:7, "God has not given us a spirit of fear." No, God has given us a spirit of power and of love and of sound mind." Fear should not motivate the thing, but power and love and a sound mind.

Interestingly, God spoke to their fear. God addressed their fear. Verse 11, "Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon whom you are now fearing. Do not be afraid of him, for I am with you to save, I am with you to deliver you from his hand." That is factoring God into the equation. God's plan is better, and if they would listen to His voice, it would go well. God's saying no to their plan because He's got a better plan. It's faith itself to believe that if God says no, He has a better plan.

I tell you, I have seen this in my life many, many times. I give you some of my favorite illustrations. For example, when I was in my 20s, I was part owner of a restaurant, and God opened a door for me to be a youth leader in a church. Ministry was my heart. When God opened a door for me to be a youth leader, I was excited, even though it meant living on far, far less. I can tell you what I made, $1,250 a month. That and love will get you your life.

I had wanted to be a pastor since I was 11. God opened the door. I was excited. I kept my partnership in the restaurant. Now that comes into play in the story. After a time, I realized that if I was going to be a senior pastor, which was what my real heart was, that I would need a good Bible education. I needed to go to a Bible college, but how to pay for it was the question. I came up with a plan, and my plan was this.

Again, I still owned part of the restaurant, and they were negotiating to add a restaurant, that we would have another restaurant. It was a really good deal. I thought, "Oh, I know what I'll do. We'll make this deal and get another restaurant. I'll sell my partnership, take the profits, pay my way through Bible college. God, I am so clever. If you could just bless my plan." As you can imagine, God said no.

How it came about was this. I remember it so clearly. I was at this marriage conference. It was a Friday night. My partner, he was the one negotiating. He had become a believer. He came late to the conference. He said, "Can I talk to you privately?" He pulled me aside. He said, "I've got to tell you, I killed the deal today." "You did? Why?" He said, "I just don't think these people are ethical, and I don't want to be in business with people that I don't think are ethical. I killed the deal, and I knew as a believer you would agree with that, so I didn't call you. Deal's done. Over."

I felt like a punch in the gut. That was my plan. That was Friday night. Saturday, I'm just praying. All day, this was my all-day prayer, "Lord, what am I going to do? I can't borrow this money. As a pastor, I can never afford to pay it back. What am I going to do?" That was my Saturday prayer. "Lord, I need a miracle. I need a miracle, and so that I know that it's a miracle, and anyone who ever hears the story knows it's a miracle, I'm not going to tell anyone I need this money.

I just need a miracle. If you want me to go to be a pastor, then I'm asking for a miracle." That was Saturday. Sunday morning, I wake up. I am excited to get to church. I walk in the doors of the church. I'm 10 steps in, when a fellow steps in front of me, goes like this, "Stop. I've got to tell you, God put it on my heart this week that I'm supposed to pay your way to Bible college." I thought, "Lord, your way is way better than mine."

He meant every word. He said, "Just let my wife, as my financial secretary, you let her know what the bill is each semester, and we'll pay it." He got me all the way through bachelor's. I said, "I'm going to go on to get my masters. You've done so well. Thank you. You blessed me so wonderfully. I release you. God’s going to do another miracle." He came back and said, "I never said bachelors, I said education. You'll greet your doctor if you want to. I'll pay for all of it." That man was obedient to the Lord, and God's plan was way better than mine. God said no, and God had a better plan. Amen. God will do it for you.

II. Abiding in God’s Will Requires Faith

Here's what I want us to see in Jeremiah 42. God's will, abiding in God's will, requires faith. It requires faith. It requires faith to believe that God's way is better than your way, and faith to believe that if you listen to the voice of the Lord, that it will go well for you. That God knows the way of greatest blessing. That requires faith. "I am with you," God says in verse 11. "I am with you. I'm with you to save. I'm with you to deliver."

Now, I've been recently emphasizing the importance of wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to see, to predict the outcomes. Foolishness, of course, is the opposite. Foolishness cannot see consequences and doesn't care about consequences. Those who want wisdom understand the essence of seeing, to see and predict outcomes. Here the Lord speaks to Jeremiah and tells them specifically the outcome of listening to the Lord by abiding in God's will.

Verse 10, "If you will stay in this land, I will build you up." This is the outcome. "I will plant you. I will show you compassion. I will restore you to your own soil." Here's the key, wait patiently for the Lord. Verse 7, "It came about after 10 days that the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah." 10 days. Now, 10 days does not seem like a long time until you're right in the middle of something. Until you're right in the middle of a crisis, then it seems like a long time. 10 days.

A. Wait …patiently …for the Lord

Now, God often, we see in Scripture, often makes us wait. It's the principle of the Lord that we should wait, for God accomplishes much in the waiting. Lamentations 3, we’ll get there soon, "The Lord is good to those who wait for Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." Now, maybe you're in a waiting season right now. The attitude of the heart is very important. If you're in a waiting place, don't despise the waiting.

Some of the greatest Christian growth in Christian life happens in the waiting. God's not late. God is not silent. He's doing a deep work while you wait. We live in a culture, of course, that values immediacy. We want answers now. We want everything now. We want everything instant. We want resolution now. God often works differently. He often calls us to wait because something happens in the waiting.

Now, while you're waiting, it's important to recognize waiting is not passive. It's not inactivity. No, something is happening while you're waiting. You're praying. You're trusting. It's an active posture of trust. It's a willingness to remain where God placed. While you wait, while you seek His face, the Lord is good to those who wait. Waiting has a way of revealing the inner workings of the heart. It exposes whether we are truly trusting or whether we're looking for just a quick solution. Waiting strips away the aspect of self, self-reliance, self-dependence.

It's often in the waiting that God does His deepest work spiritually. Isaiah 40 is one of those wonderful verses that speak to it, "Those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run and not get tired. They will walk and not faint." Notice, they will gain. While you are waiting, you are gaining new strength. Something is happening spiritually. It says, they will rise up with wings like eagles. Isaiah here uses the picture of an eagle in flight to speak to those who wait. Mount up with wings of eagles.

If you've ever seen an eagle soaring in heights, you know that they're just effortlessly gliding on the currents that lift them. Rising not by self-effort. In contrast to, if you've ever seen an albatross trying to get off the water, [onomatopoeia] beating the thing trying to get off the slightest bit of water. Meanwhile, the eagle's up there in the heights sailing. It's not about self and all that self-effort. It's about waiting for God to move.

Psalm 46:10, "Cease all this striving." This is a good word. Cease all this striving. Striving means self. Self-effort, self-reliance, self-dependence. All this self. Stop. Cease all this striving and know that I am God. That's faith. "Know this. I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth," versus my self-dependence. No, I want God's way. I tell you what, God's strength is far greater than any self-reliance strength that I might come up with. God's way is a better way.

It's vanity, he says, emptiness itself. "They're driven by their fears." It's times like that when faith arises and you say, "I know my God." When you're in the midst of it, this is such an important thing. When you're in the midst of it, to be able to say, "I know my God. I know how my God moves. God is my refuge. God is my strength. I will not allow my heart to be troubled within me, for I know my God and my trust is in Him. I know how my God moves." Cease all this striving.

Psalm 27:14, "Wait for the Lord. Be strong and let your heart take courage." Yes, wait. Then lastly, I'm going to close with this, don't go back to Egypt. There's the grand conclusion. No, don't go back to Egypt. "If you say," this is verse 13, 14, "If you say, we are not going to listen to the voice of the Lord. You say, no, we will not listen. We will go to the land of Egypt. Then hear this. Then hear this." See, God tells them the outcome.

B. Don’t go back to Egypt

This very thing, this very thing that is driving you to disregard the voice of the Lord is the very thing that you're walking right into. Egypt throughout Scripture represents the world, represents false security, the place where people turn when they're not willing to trust God fully. One of the most subtle dangers in the Christian life is the temptation to go back to Egypt. It begins with looking back. You remember the past. It seemed easier, more comfortable. Your memories are selective. You remember only part. You forget the hardship.

The children of Israel did this in the wilderness after they had been set free from the oppression and slavery of Egypt. There they went into the desert, where God did a miracle every morning by providing manna for them. It felt like dew. They would go out in the morning, harvest the day's provision of sustenance in this manna. It was sweet. It tasted good, but they got tired of it and began to complain and grumble. They started looking back to Egypt.

"Oh, we remember. Oh, the good old days. Remember the good old days in Egypt? Huh. The leeks, the onions, the garlic, the fish. Don't you remember the good old days in Egypt? Remember when we were slaves and oppressed?" Sometimes Christians do this, and it reminds them of the good old days. It never even reminds you of the pain and the emptiness, the despair. Abiding in God's will is not always easy, but it's always good.

It's a place of greatest blessing, deepest peace, truest safety. Today the Lord is asking, will you abide in my will, whether it be pleasant or unpleasant, easy or difficult? Will you trust that I know the path of greatest blessing better than your path? Some of you have been asking God for direction while secretly hoping that He'll just bless the plan you already made. Today is the day to lay that down, to surrender your plan, and to say, "Not my will, but your will be done." Others already know what God said, but fear is tempting you to run to Egypt.

The voice of the Lord says, "Stay. Stay with me. I am with you. I'm with you to save. I'm with you to deliver. I have something better for you. Don't run. Don't run. Don't go back to Egypt. Stay. I have glorious things." No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has understood what God has in store for those who love Him. Stay and abide in God's will, and He will bless you. It is the path of greatest blessing.

Let's pray. Lord, we are so thankful for showing us such deep and wonderful insights into the ways of God, into the heart of God. It meets us right where we are. So many people are making decisions of life. Church, as we're praying, perhaps you are making a decision. You're at a crux point, and you've got to decide what you're going to do. Would you say to the Lord today, not my will, your will be done, and I will abide in it. For I know that your way and your will is the path of greatest blessing, of peace, of a sure foundation. I want your will in my life.

Is that you? Would you raise your hand as a way of just expressing that to God, a prayer to the Lord? I want your will. I will abide in your will and your way. I trust you, God. I trust you. It is the way of greatest blessing. Father, thank you for everyone who has raised their hand as a show of obedience, saying, I want your way. God, pour out your Spirit upon us now. Meet us here and truly pour your life that our souls would be revived. As we wait, we gain new strength to rise up with wings like eagles and run and not get tired and walk and not faint. Do that in us, we pray. We ask in Jesus' name, and everyone said.

Jeremiah 42:1-22 NASB

42 ¹Then all the commanders of the forces, Johanan the son of Kareah, Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people both small and great approached ²and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Please let our petition come before you, and pray for us to the Lord your God, that is for all this remnant; because we are left but a few out of many, as your own eyes now see us, ³that the Lord your God may tell us the way in which we should walk and the thing that we should do.” ⁴Then Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I am going to pray to the Lord your God in accordance with your words; and I will tell you the whole message which the Lord will answer you. I will not keep back a word from you.” ⁵Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with the whole message with which the Lord your God will send you to us. ⁶Whether it is pleasant or unpleasant, we will listen to the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, so that it may go well with us when we listen to the voice of the Lord our God.”

⁷Now at the end of ten days the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah. ⁸Then he called for Johanan the son of Kareah and all the commanders of the forces that were with him, and for all the people both small and great, ⁹and said to them, “Thus says the Lord the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to present your petition before Him: ¹⁰‘If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you. ¹¹Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand. ¹²I will also show you compassion, so that he will have compassion on you and restore you to your own soil. ¹³But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” so as not to listen to the voice of the Lord your God, ¹⁴saying, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of a trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there”; ¹⁵then in that case listen to the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “If you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to reside there, ¹⁶then the sword, which you are afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are anxious, will follow closely after you there in Egypt, and you will die there. ¹⁷So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; and they will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity that I am going to bring on them.”’”

¹⁸For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “As My anger and wrath have been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so My wrath will be poured out on you when you enter Egypt. And you will become a curse, an object of horror, an imprecation and a reproach; and you will see this place no more.” ¹⁹The Lord has spoken to you, O remnant of Judah, “Do not go into Egypt!” You should clearly understand that today I have testified against you. ²⁰For you have only deceived yourselves; for it is you who sent me to the Lord your God, saying, “Pray for us to the Lord our God; and whatever the Lord our God says, tell us so, and we will do it.” ²¹So I have told you today, but you have not obeyed the Lord your God, even in whatever He has sent me to tell you. ²²Therefore you should now clearly understand that you will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence, in the place where you wish to go to reside.

Permanecer en la voluntad de Dios
Jeremías 42: 1-22
18-19 de abril de 2026

Mientras tanto, hoy continuamos con el libro de Jeremías. A este punto, todas las advertencias de Jeremías se habían cumplido. Una y otra vez, les advirtió que darle la espalda a Dios y seguir a los dioses del mundo, terminaría en desastre para la nación de Israel y para ellos personalmente.

Eso fué exactamente lo que sucedió. Jerusalén, la ciudad de David, el lugar que Dios había elegido poner su nombre, ahora yacía en ruinas. El Templo, morada misma de la gloria de Dios, fue reducido a cenizas. La mayoría del pueblo de Judá fue llevada encadenada a Babilonia, donde permanecerían exiliados durante 70 años.

La historia de Jeremías 42, sin embargo, trata sobre el pequeño remanente traumatizado que quedó en la tierra. ¿Cuántos eran? ¿Unos cientos? ¿Unos miles? Se habían escondido en cuevas y lugares desiertos y se reunieron para consolidar lo que tenían y fortalecer lo que quedaba.

El trasfondo de este capítulo es que, pocos días antes, Gedalías, el recién nombrado gobernador de Judea, a quien Nabucodonosor había elegido para restablecer el orden y la estabilidad, fue brutalmente asesinado por Ismael, descendiente del rey David. Podemos suponer que tal vez lo motivaron los celos y el orgullo. Quizás se sentía con más derecho al liderazgo que Gedalías.

También fue una conspiración. Ismael contaba con el apoyo de un enemigo extranjero: el rey de Amón, al otro lado del Jordán, que quería impedir cualquier posible fortalecimiento de Jerusalén.

Tras la muerte de su líder Gedalías, el miedo se extendió como la pólvora entre los sobrevivientes. Temían que, al llegar la noticia a Babilonia, Nabucodonosor enviaría a su ejército con una fuerza abrumadora y los aniquilaría a todos.

Pero hay un detalle en la historia que no debemos pasar por alto. Debían pensar en su siguiente paso. ¿Qué debían hacer? Necesitaban elaborar un plan. Si permanecían donde estaban, temían que Nabucodonosor tomara represalias. Después de todo, él había sido quien nombró a Gedalías. Y no solo eso, sino que Ismael y sus hombres habían matado a los pocos soldados babilonios asignados para protegerlo.

¿Debían quedarse o ir a Egipto, lejos de la ira de Babilonia? Eso pensaban. El versículo 17 del capítulo anterior nos dice todo lo que necesitamos saber: “Y fueron y se quedaron en Gerut Quimham, cerca de Belén… para partir hacia Egipto”. Habían trazado el rumbo: la decisión estaba tomada.

Y aun así, vinieron a Jeremías y le dijeron: “Por favor, ruega por nosotros al Señor, tu Dios… para que el Señor tu Dios nos muestre el camino que debemos seguir y lo que debemos hacer.”

En apariencia, todo parecía muy sincero. Pero la verdad era mucho más cruda. No buscaban genuinamente la voluntad de Dios, sino su bendición y favor para el plan que ya habían trazado. Querían la aprobación divina para su decisión de huir a Egipto.

Esta es una de las trampas espirituales más comunes y peligrosas en las que caen los creyentes. Y hoy, el Espíritu Santo quiere hablarnos a cada uno de nosotros de manera personal y amorosa a través de este pasaje.

Este es el mensaje que Dios quiere que comprendamos en este capítulo: permanecer en la voluntad de Dios es el único lugar seguro, el único lugar de verdadera bendición, el único lugar de paz y plenitud genuinas, incluso cuando su voluntad nos parezca desagradable, difícil o completamente opuesta a lo que deseamos.

Este capítulo no es una mera historia antigua. Es un espejo que nos muestra nuestro propio corazón. ¿Cuántas veces nos hemos acercado a Dios en momentos de crisis y le hemos dicho: ‘Señor, muéstrame tu voluntad’, mientras que en secreto esperábamos que simplemente confirmara el camino que ya habíamos elegido? ¿Cuántas veces hemos prometido: ‘Obedeceré pase lo que pase’, solo para retractarnos en el momento en que la respuesta de Dios requiere un verdadero sacrificio, un verdadero esfuerzo o incomodidad?

Los versículos de este capítulo nos consolarán, pero también nos desafiarán y nos impulsarán a una vida de obediencia gozosa y confiada. Veremos que la voluntad de Dios no es una carga que soportar, sino el camino hacia la mayor bendición, la paz más profunda y la vida más abundante que podamos conocer.

Aunque Dios diga ‘no’, aunque diga ‘quédate’, aunque su guía parezca desagradable, permanecer en su voluntad siempre es la mayor bendición. Porque donde está Dios, hay vida. Donde Dios guía, hay esperanza. Donde Dios conduce, hay misericordia.

Busca la voluntad de Dios con el corazón abierto.

Empezaron bien. Le pidieron a Jeremías que orara por ellos, para que el Señor les indicara el camino que debían seguir y lo que debían hacer.

Sí, ya habían hecho un plan. Pero le pidieron a Dios que respondiera y guiara sus pasos.

Podemos identificarnos con esto. ¿Cuántos le han dicho al Señor: ‘Esto es lo que creo que es mejor, pero quiero escuchar tu opinión, Señor. No quiero seguir mi plan si tú tienes uno mejor?

Esa parte es correcta. Esa es la manera correcta de orar. Lo principal es pedirle a Dios que guíe tus pasos y ordene tu camino… según su plan.

Renuncia a tu plan… y espera

Fíjense que vino todo el pueblo, tanto los grandes como los pequeños, y le dijeron a Jeremías: ‘Ora y ruega a Dios por nosotros.

Líderes y gente común se reunieron en lo que parecía ser un momento de humildad compartida. Reconocieron que no tenían las respuestas. Reconocieron que la situación los superaba. Y así, acudieron al profeta de Dios en busca de guía.

Aquí es donde debe comenzar la búsqueda genuina de la voluntad de Dios: de rodillas, con las manos vacías y el corazón abierto. La dependencia absoluta es el terreno fértil donde crece la guía divina.

La clave está en renunciar a tu plan . “Padre, no se haga mi voluntad, sino la tuya”.

Mateo 26:36-39: Jesús fue con ellos a Getsemaní y les dijo a sus discípulos: “Siéntense aquí mientras yo voy a orar”. Llevándose consigo a Pedro y a los dos hijos de Zebedeo, comenzó a sentir tristeza y angustia. Entonces les dijo: “Mi alma está profundamente afligida, hasta la muerte: quédense aquí y velen conmigo”. Y adelantándose un poco, se postró sobre su rostro y oró: “Padre, si es posible, aparta de mí esta copa: pero no se haga mi voluntad, sino la tuya”.

Quizás tengas una petición profunda: ‘Señor, esto es lo que te pido; si hay alguna manera, por favor, que se haga esto o aquello… pero entrego mi plan al tuyo. No se haga mi voluntad, sino la tuya’.

En Jeremías 42, quienes acudieron a Jeremías ya tenían un plan: y fueron al profeta para pedirle una palabra del Señor. Ese no es el punto. El punto es si realmente estaban dispuestos a obedecer la voluntad de Dios cuando la escucharon.

¿Cómo sabes si realmente has renunciado a tu plan? Si puedes decir lo que dijeron en el versículo 5…

Versículo 5 – Entonces le dijeron a Jeremías: “Que el Señor sea testigo verdadero y fiel contra nosotros si no actuamos conforme a todo el mensaje con el que el Señor tu Dios te enviará a nosotros”.

Esta era la respuesta correcta. En otras palabras, “Haremos lo que Dios diga que debemos hacer”.

Lucas 6:46, “¿Por qué me llaman ‘Señor, Señor’, si no hacen lo que les digo?”

Ya sea agradable o desagradable

Versículo 6 – “Sea buena o mala, escucharemos la voz del Señor nuestro Dios a quien te enviamos, para que nos vaya bien cuando escuchemos la voz del Señor nuestro Dios.”
Este es uno de los versículos más poderosos de la Biblia sobre permanecer en la voluntad de Dios. Permanecer en la voluntad de Dios significa mantenerse bajo su amparo, incluso cuando su voluntad sea desagradable o difícil.
Muchos dicen que quieren que se cumpla la voluntad de Dios, hasta que les cuesta algo. Hasta que se vuelve difícil. Hasta que implica decir “no” a algo que realmente deseaban. Hasta que significa esperar más de lo que su paciencia puede agotar.
Escuchen ese versículo de nuevo, porque resume una de las mayores verdades de la obediencia a Dios: “Sea agradable o desagradable, escucharemos la voz del Señor nuestro Dios, a quien los enviamos, para que nos vaya bien cuando escuchemos la voz del Señor nuestro Dios”.
Fíjense… “para que nos vaya bien cuando escuchemos la voz del Señor nuestro Dios”.

Esa es la sabiduría misma. Dios conoce el camino de la mayor bendición. No te pierdas esa bendición por insistir en seguir tu propio camino, tu propia senda, tu propio rumbo trazado.

Proverbios 14:12, “Hay camino que al hombre le parece derecho, pero su fin es camino de muerte”.

Cuando Dios dice “no”, Él tiene algo mejor.

Como vimos en el capítulo anterior, ya habían formulado su plan. Temían que Nabucodonosor enviara a su ejército a tomar represalias contra ellos, aunque no fuera culpa suya; no fueron ellos quienes atacaron a los soldados babilonios. Pero su miedo determinó su camino.

Sin duda entendemos el miedo. Es la condición natural con la que nace el ser humano. Pero el miedo, y solo el miedo, no debería determinar nuestro rumbo.

Versículo 11 – “No teman al rey de Babilonia, a quien ahora temen; no le teman —declara el Señor—, porque yo estoy con ustedes para salvarlos y librarlos de su mano.”

2 Timoteo 1:7, “Dios no nos ha dado un espíritu de temor, sino de poder, de amor y de dominio propio”.

El plan de Dios era mejor y, si escuchaban su voz, todo les iría bien.

En otras palabras, Dios les decía que no a su plan porque tenía un plan Esto es fe en sí misma: creer que si Dios dice que no, es porque tiene un plan mejor para ti.

Ilustración: Cuando tenía veintitantos años, Dios me abrió la puerta para ser líder juvenil en una iglesia. Había sido co-propietario de un restaurante, pero Dios me abrió la puerta al ministerio, y el ministerio era mi pasión. Quería ser pastor desde los once años. Sin embargo, mantuve mi participación en el restaurante, y con eso viene a la historia. Después de un tiempo, me di cuenta de que si quería ser pastor principal, necesitaría una buena formación bíblica. ¿Pero cómo pagarla? Era extremadamente cara. Ideé mi propio plan ingenioso, y luego oré y le pedí a Dios que lo bendijera. Dios dijo que no. …Pero entonces Dios obró de maneras que jamás hubiera imaginado. Su camino era verdaderamente mejor.

Permanecer en la voluntad de Dios requiere fe.

Permanecer en la voluntad de Dios requiere fe para creer que el camino de Dios es mejor que el tuyo y que si escuchas la voz del Señor te irá bien, que Dios conoce el camino de mayor bendición. Eso requiere fe.

Últimamente he estado haciendo enfatizando la importancia de la sabiduría: que la sabiduría es la capacidad de ver, la capacidad de predecir el resultado.

La necedad es lo opuesto; no puede ver las consecuencias y no le importan.

Aquí, el Señor habla a través de Jeremías y les dice específicamente cuál será el resultado de escuchar al Señor y permanecer en la voluntad de Dios.

Versículos 10, 12 – “Si de verdad permanecen en esta tierra, yo los edificaré… los plantaré… les mostraré compasión… y los haré volver a su propia tierra”.

Espera… pacientemente… al Señor

Versículo 7 – “Aconteció que al cabo de diez días la palabra del Señor vino a Jeremías…”
Dios a menudo nos hace esperar. Es un principio del Señor que debemos esperar en Él. Dios obra mucho durante la espera.

Lamentaciones 3:25-26, “El Señor es bueno con los que esperan en él… Es bueno esperar en silencio la salvación del Señor.”

Si ahora mismo estás en un periodo de espera, no lo desprecies. Gran parte del crecimiento en la vida cristiana se produce durante la espera. Dios no llega tarde. No guarda silencio. Está obrando profundamente en ti mientras esperas.
Vivimos en una cultura que valora la inmediatez. Queremos respuestas ahora. Queremos claridad ahora. Queremos una solución ahora. Pero Dios a menudo obra de otra manera. A menudo nos llama a esperar.
Y esperar no es pasividad. No es inactividad. Esperar es una actitud activa de confianza. Es la voluntad de permanecer donde Dios nos ha puesto mientras buscamos su presencia y confiamos en su tiempo: “El Señor es bueno con los que esperan”.
La espera tiene la particularidad de revelar lo que realmente hay en nuestro corazón. Revela si estamos dispuestos a confiar en Dios o si simplemente buscamos una solución rápida. Nos despoja de la autosuficiencia y nos enseña la dependencia. A menudo, es durante la espera cuando Dios obra su obra más profunda en nosotros.

Isaías 40:31, “Los que esperan en el Señor renovarán sus fuerzas; levantarán alas como las águilas, correrán y no se cansarán, caminarán y no desfallecerán”.

Isaías utiliza la imagen de un águila en vuelo para hablar de aquellos que esperan, adquiriendo nuevas fuerzas para elevarse como con las alas de las águilas, que se remontan a lo alto, cabalgando sobre las corrientes que las elevan.
En otras palabras, no se trata de autosuficiencia ni de esfuerzo propio. No se trata de agitar los brazos como si fuera una desesperación, sino de esperar a que Dios actúe.

Salmo 46:10, “Dejen de luchar y sepan que yo soy Dios; seré exaltado entre las naciones, seré exaltado en la tierra.”

El esfuerzo personal es la imagen de alguien que cree que puede salir adelante por sus propios medios; o que con su propio esfuerzo puede ganar las batallas de la vida.
Esto es vanidad, dice Dios. Esto es vacío absoluto. Dejad de esforzaros y sabed que Él es un gran Dios.
Esforzarse también puede significar las preocupaciones, los miedos, las ansiedades, el alma que está perturbada en tu interior.
Esperar en Dios en tiempos de tribulación habla de un corazón que está en paz con Él. Es como si dijeras: ‘Conozco a mi Dios. Sé cómo obra. Él es mi refugio y mi fortaleza. No permitiré que mi corazón se turbe dentro de mí’.
En otras palabras, dejen de esforzarse, no se preocupen, ni teman, ni se dejen dominar por la duda. Que cesen todas esas preocupaciones, temores y esfuerzos.
Que esto quede grabado en vuestro corazón; estad quietos y sabed que Él es Dios.
Espera en el Señor y no te desanimes. Quienes esperan en el Señor renovarán sus fuerzas y levantarán alas como las águilas.
Los de Babilonia esperaron 70 años. Esperaron 10 días y aún así no se sometieron a la voluntad de Dios.

Salmo 27:14, “Espera en el Señor; sé fuerte y ten valor; sí, espera en el Señor”.

No vuelvas a Egipto.

Versículos 13-14 – “Pero si dicen: ‘No escucharemos la voz del Señor nuestro Dios’, diciendo: ‘No, sino que iremos a la tierra de Egipto’, entonces escuchen la palabra del Señor…”
Entonces Dios les revela el resultado. No necesitan sabiduría para discernirlo ; Dios se lo dice claramente: “Aquello que temen y que los lleva a desobedecer la voz del Señor es precisamente lo que están a punto de sufrir. Morirán allí, a espada, de hambre y de peste”.
A lo largo de las Escrituras, Egipto representa al mundo. Representa un lugar de falsa seguridad, un lugar al que la gente acude cuando no está dispuesto a confiar plenamente en Dios. Es el lugar donde se buscan soluciones humanas al margen de la guía divina.
Y uno de los peligros más sutiles en la vida cristiana es la tentación de volver a Egipto. A menudo comienza con la mirada hacia atrás. Uno empieza a pensar en el pasado. Recuerda lo que parecía más fácil. Recuerda lo que parecía más cómodo. Pero los recuerdos son selectivos. Recuerda los beneficios, pero olvida la esclavitud.
Los hijos de Israel hicieron esto en el desierto. Anhelaban los puerros y las cebollas de Egipto, pero olvidaron la esclavitud. Y a veces los cristianos hacen lo mismo. El enemigo te recordará los placeres del mundo, pero nunca te recordará el dolor que conllevaba.
Permanecer en la voluntad de Dios no siempre es fácil, pero siempre es bueno. Es el lugar de mayor bendición, paz más profunda y verdadera seguridad.
Hoy el Señor nos pregunta a cada uno: ¿Permanecerás en mi voluntad, sea agradable o desagradable, fácil o difícil? ¿Confiarás en que yo conozco el camino hacia tu mayor bendición mejor que tú?
Algunos de ustedes le han estado pidiendo a Dios que los guíe, mientras que en secreto esperan que bendiga el plan que ya han trazado. Hoy es el día para dejarlo de lado.
Otros ya saben lo que Dios ha dicho, pero el miedo te tienta a regresar a Egipto. Escucha la voz amorosa de tu Pastor: “Quédate conmigo. Estoy contigo para salvarte y librarte. Tengo algo mejor preparado para ti aquí”.
“Sea agradable o desagradable, escucharemos la voz del Señor nuestro Dios, para que nos vaya bien cuando escuchemos la voz del Señor nuestro Dios.”

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