Standing on my Rhema
While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Lord gave him this second message: “This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. [Jeremiah 33 : 1 - 3]
Today we continue with the chronicles of the wailing woman. By this I’m referring to those wobble moments when our faith wavers ever so slightly and we find ourselves in a less than happy, less than dignified place. It was in one such moment of faithing doubting and literally waiting that I found myself having a meltdown of epic proportions - and heard the voice of God reverberate clearly through my entire being.
I don’t quite know how to describe it. I’m not saying I heard the audible voice of God, even though I pray I will one day of course. But what I did hear was the voice of God reverberate audibly through my being, for lack of a better way to put it.
The night before this happened had been a slightly traumatic one. Something had happened that set me off wailing like a banshee. In retrospect, it was quite a heart-breaking affair now that I think about it. I make light of it now as we often do in life to ease the burden I felt come upon me, however that doesn’t change the fact that it was quite a hurtful little affair. That evening, ignorant of the pain that was to come, I had settled into bed and was enjoying some worship music in the shalom peace and quiet of my bedroom. Suddenly, I glanced at my phone, wats app to be precise and came across a photo that killed my mood, smashed it to absolute smitherins and set me off on a crying spree. Ladies, you know those photos right? For some of you it could be an engagement picture of a guy you once liked or dated popping up on Instagram. It’s not even that you still like the dude, it’s more a case of life happening for others while you seem to be forever hovering on the fringes. For others, it could be an updated profile photo of one of your closest friends. Reality hits as you realise you’re the last single woman standing in the posse as everyone else has transitioned into a new season. I’m not saying you wouldn’t be happy for your friends or anything. Of course the natural reaction is to be thrilled, to celebrate them even as you pray you too shall soon experience this next stage. However it could leave one asking many questions and wondering when , or more tragically , if this will ever happen for them.
Amazing how such a little thing as a photo set me off. All of a sudden out of nowhere, I found myself wailing loudly as I rocked back and forth on my bed. To this day I believe that God, of course having seen this moment coming from miles away, prepared a safety net for me and dropped a beautiful song in my YouTube feed. I must have cried and cried for hours as I listened to the beautiful tune of Yeshua I Jesus Image Worship. I literally felt like my heart was breaking that evening. So distraught was I, I couldn’t even pray. So in that place of vulnerability, I poured out my heart to my Father and finally when I had calmed down somewhat, I fell asleep.
It’s funny how quickly the mind forgets what could otherwise be termed as a highly traumatic event. The very next day, I went about my business as usual and put the whole episode completely behind me. That evening, I rebelled slightly as I chose to watch a crime movie. I say rebelled because I had by that point decided to be very careful about the type of content I was consuming (P.s. nothing wrong with a good crime movie it’s just that personally I had taken a conscious decision to detach from the secular world for a period of time). As soon as the movie ended, I remember feeling quite deflated. It had not edified me at all, in fact if anything, it had grieved my spirit somewhat. Wondering why I had made that silly decision, I reached out for my trusty pink NLT Bible. As soon as I stretched out my hand, I heard Jeremiah 33 clearly echo throughout my entire body. It can’t really describe it but it was as though God wanted to be extra sure I wouldn’t miss it. Curious, I flipped to the scripture and as I read it I felt like brilliant rays of sunshine burst through my soul.
Jeremiah 33 : 1 - 14
While Jeremiah was still confined in the courtyard of the guard, the Lord gave him this second message: “This is what the Lord says—the Lord who made the earth, who formed and established it, whose name is the Lord: Ask me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: You have torn down the houses of this city and even the king’s palace to get materials to strengthen the walls against the siege ramps and swords of the enemy. You expect to fight the Babylonians, but the men of this city are already as good as dead, for I have determined to destroy them in my terrible anger. I have abandoned them because of all their wickedness.
“Nevertheless, the time will come when I will heal Jerusalem’s wounds and give it prosperity and true peace. I will restore the fortunes of Judah and Israel and rebuild their towns. I will cleanse them of their sins against me and forgive all their sins of rebellion. Then this city will bring me joy, glory, and honour before all the nations of the earth! The people of the world will see all the good I do for my people, and they will tremble with awe at the peace and prosperity I provide for them.
“This is what the Lord says: You have said, ‘This is a desolate land where people and animals have all disappeared.’ Yet in the empty streets of Jerusalem and Judah’s other towns, there will be heard once more the sounds of joy and laughter. The joyful voices of bridegrooms and brides will be heard again, along with the joyous songs of people bringing thanksgiving offerings to the Lord. They will sing,
‘Give thanks to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies,
for the Lord is good.
His faithful love endures forever!’
For I will restore the prosperity of this land to what it was in the past, says the Lord. “This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: This land—though it is now desolate and has no people and animals—will once more have pastures where shepherds can lead their flocks. Once again shepherds will count their flocks in the towns of the hill country, the foothills of Judah, the Negev, the land of Benjamin, the vicinity of Jerusalem, and all the towns of Judah. I, the Lord, have spoken! “The day will come, says the Lord, when I will do for Israel and Judah all the good things I have promised them.”
As I read the scripture, I felt incredibly loved. It struck me that God had surely heard me weeping inconsolably the night before, that even in that dark moment when I was questioning whether the promise would come to pass, He was right there with me and He could feel my heart breaking. And even though the next day I had promptly forgotten about it, He had not. Here He was reminding me now that my matter was still very much at the top of His agenda, that I was still a priority and the promises He had made to me in days gone by were still the same. God repeats Himself to convince us, for the sake of our mortal minds and so the next morning as I woke up for my usual prayers, I “randomly” came across a video of a woman giving her testimony of how God confirmed the man she later married was her husband. I don’t know what made me click on the video (other than the Holy Spirit), but halfway through, the lady said “I asked God to confirm he was my husband and He led me to Jeremiah 33 : 3. My jaw dropped as she said it and I received my confirmation that this was indeed my rhema word. Once the Lord has spoken, twice have we heard. Some days later, I received yet another video confirmation of the same and then I knew as I knew my name that the promise was sure to come to pass.
Ladies, the power of God our Father is limitless so let us not place limits on Him. In our darkest times He is right there with us. Not beside us, not around us, but right there with us deep in the trenches. Ask the Father and He will speak to you with great clarity. If you have never received a rhema word from God, ask Him for one. Ask Him to speak to you concerning your situation through His word. Once you receive your rhema - because by faith you will receive it - stand on that word. Make it your anchor scripture, make it a part of your prayer. Hold God to His word and see if He will not come through for you. Let God be true and every man a liar.
I hope we all find encouragement in this even as we continue to trust in the goodness of our God.