Jeremiah 42-45
Knowing the will of God and doing the will of God is not the same
thing. Many times we know what we should be doing, we know what God would have
us do, but we are either afraid or just do not want to obey. After Jeremiah had
fallen into the hands of the Babylonians, a remnant remained in the city. They
came to Jeremiah and asked Jeremiah to pray for them. They said they wanted to
know God’s will for them. They wanted to know if they should stay in the city
with the broken down walls or should move on to Egypt where they had allies
that would protect them. They told Jeremiah;
"Whether it is favorable or
unfavorable, we will obey the Lord our God, to whom we are sending you, so that
it will go well with us, for we will obey the Lord our God.”"
(Jeremiah 42:6, NIV)
God answered Jeremiah when he prayed and Jeremiah passed the message
to the people. God promised to protect them if they stayed. They did not have
to fear the Babylonians or any other army because God was their protector. But
if they left the land and depended on Egypt for their protection, they would
face the sword they were trying to escape.
The remnant of Judah refused to listen to the words God gave Jeremiah.
After suffering so much loss, after promising to listen to God’s reply to
Jeremiah, the people still rejected God’s promise. They did not trust God
enough to trust that He would or could protect them.
"“O remnant of Judah, the Lord has told you, ‘Do not go to Egypt.’
Be sure of this: I warn you today that you made a fatal mistake when you sent
me to the Lord your God and said, ‘Pray to the Lord our God for us; tell us
everything he says and we will do it.’ I have told you today, but you still
have not obeyed the Lord your God in all he sent me to tell you. So now, be
sure of this: You will die by the sword, famine and plague in the place where
you want to go to settle.”" (Jeremiah 42:19-22, NIV)
When we seek the will
of God, He will respond. We can ignore it, we can make excuses, we can blatantly
disobey, or we can listen and step out in faith knowing that God will bring
what is good to us. That does not mean everything will be easy, but it will be
good. When we know God’s will for our lives and we do not follow His will, we
will face consequences. We should take the word of God and His answers to our
prayers seriously. When we trust Him, He will prove faithful. 
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