Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Look to yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each man will have to bear his own load.

—Galatians 6:1-4 

No Christian should think of themselves as more pious or superior than any other person. We are all children of God, and we are all unique in our way. We are called to love one another with affection; to be kind, compassionate, hospitable, and gracious towards one another—forgiving one another and honoring each other above ourselves. Christians have the uncanny ability to turn on one another at the very time when they are needed most. For many LGBTQ+ individuals, we are most vulnerable when we come out. We never know how someone is going to react. For some of us, we know it’s going to go badly like it did when my mother found out I was gay. For others, we hope they will react with love and kindness. Sometimes, we get the opposite of what we expect, which can be good or bad. For many of us, that means our sexuality is rejected by the person to whom we came out. It is our most vulnerable moment, and all too often, people use the Bible as a reason to reject us. When we need them most, they act the most unchristian.

Legalists and biblical literalists apply the law more harshly toward others than toward themselves. They concentrate on their strengths and others’ weaknesses. Thus the scribes and Pharisees were ready to stone the woman guilty of adultery (John 8:2-11), yet they were insensitive to their breaches of the law by taking advantage of the helpless, the neglect of their responsibilities to their own families, or their persecution of the righteous. In their desire to maintain at least the appearance of severity toward sin, those with a strict interpretation of the Bible during Paul’s time had become calloused and even cruel toward those who had stumbled in their Christian walk. Paul put it this way in Romans 12:3, “For by the grace given to me I bid every one among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith which God has assigned him.” Excessive adherence to law has no interest in reducing the burdens which we must endure. Instead, it produces limitations and then a refusal to assist those on whom they are imposed. Jesus contrasted Himself with the scribes and Pharisees with respect to burdens.

When correctly carried out, Christian love bears one another’s burdens and can cover a multitude of sins. Christian love seeks to encourage one another towards living true and experiencing spiritual growth, and Paul gives us biblical guidance on what to do when others are in trouble or needs help. First, we are to be sure that we look at ourselves before we judge others. John 8:7 says, “…“Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone…” I know it is cliché, but we must ask ourselves, “What would Jesus do?” because we should do our best to emulate Jesus which means treating each other in a spirit of gentleness and love.

We should take the time to make an honest analysis of our own lives, instead of merely comparing ourselves to the people around us. Then, we can truly enjoy what we see God accomplishing through us, in real humility. Paul’s use of the word “boast” is not about bragging or a sinful pride in ourselves. It’s about honest measurement of what is right. It is what makes us unique. Frida Kahlo once said, “I used to think I was the strangest person in the world, but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you.” As LGBTQ+ Christians and our allies, we may seem strange to those who excessively adhere to a literal interpretation of the Bible. When another Christian judges us because we do not fit their image of a perfect Christian, they are not following the teachings of Jesus but are being hypocrites.

In this manner, therefore, pray:

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom
 and the power
 and the glory forever.
      Amen.

—Matthew 6:9-13

I will admit that I am not one who formally prays a lot. I believe God hears my thoughts, just as he would prayers said in silence. There are definitely things I think about that maybe I wish God didn’t hear, but I think we all have “impure” thoughts. I regularly communicate with God, and I should follow the example of the Lord’s Prayer better. When I was growing up, the men who prayed in my church used pretty standard language for their prayers. I knew when my preacher, who was known for his lengthy prayers, started thanking God for the flowers and the trees in nature, he was nearly finished. We had another man who rambled on and on with no direction. When I had to give a prayer, it was basically the same prayer from memory, just as my father always did when he gave the closing prayer at church.

Jesus gave us clear guidance for praying which did not include the “vain repetitions” I was all too familiar with when growing up in Alabama. In Matthew 9:5-8, Jesus said: 

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore, do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

Jesus told us that prayer is a private matter. My sister’s in-laws and many others I know who like displays of piety insist praying before a meal in public. They insist that everyone join hands and bow their heads as someone says the prayer. For most of these people, they are mostly showing a display of their piety like the hypocrites in the synagogues the Jesus tells us about. I have no problem with saying a silent prayer before a meal or praying aloud at a private family gathering, but I have a problem with people who merely want to show how Christian they can be. In the case of my sister’s in-laws, they are very negative people, who consistently denigrate others for not doing as they believe they should. However, they are often doing those same things or overlook things in family members that they condemn in others. In my opinion, if you are going to be pious, follow Christ at all times, not just when people are watching.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave us the prayer that became known as the “Lord’s Prayer.” The model prayer, as it is also called, takes only 15-20 seconds to say, yet is filled with deep meaning. This prayer perfectly summarizes our faith and what is expressed in the Gospels. On his reflection on this prayer, St. Cyprian of Carthage, a third-century bishop wrote, “My dear friends, the Lord’s Prayer contains many great mysteries of our faith. In these few words, there is great spiritual meaning, for this summary of divine teaching contains all of our prayers and petitions.” Jesus ends the prayer by adding “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matthew 9:14-15) This last part is often incorporated into the Lord’s Prayer by some Christians.

Philip Yancey, a Christian author who writes about questions and topics of faith that matter to both believers and doubters alike said, “Prayer is not a means of removing the unknown and predictable elements in life, but rather a way of including the unknown and unpredictable in the outworking of the grace of God in our lives.” Yancey was born in Atlanta and grew up in a strict, fundamentalist southern church. When Yancey was one year old, his polio-stricken father died after church members suggested he go off life support asserting that faith in God would heal him. This and other negative experiences with a rigid church contributed to Yancey’s losing his faith at one point.

For Yancey, reading offered a window to a different world. He devoured books that opened his mind, challenged his upbringing, and went against what he had been taught. A sense of betrayal engulfed him. “I felt I had been lied to. For instance, what I learned from a book like To Kill a Mockingbird or Black Like Me contradicted the racism I encountered in church. I went through a period of reacting against everything I was taught and even discarding my faith. I began my journey back mainly by encountering a world very different than I had been taught, an expansive world of beauty and goodness. Along the way, I realized that God had been misrepresented to me. Cautiously, warily, I returned, circling around the faith to see if it might be true.”

How does a man who’s been through all Yancey has, draw close to the God he once feared? He spends about an hour each morning reading spiritually nourishing books, meditating, and praying. This morning time, he says, helps him “align” himself with God for the day. “I tend to go back to the Bible as a model because I don’t know a more honest book,” Yancey explains. “I can’t think of any argument against God that isn’t already included in the Bible. To those who struggle with my books, I reply, ‘Then maybe you shouldn’t be reading them.’ Yet some people do need the kinds of books I write. They’ve been burned by the church or they’re upset about certain aspects of Christianity. I understand that feeling of disappointment, even betrayal. I feel called to speak to those living in the borderlands of faith.”

Faith is the essential element in our relationship with God. Jesus says that if you have faith, you can command a mountain to jump into the sea. He also taught us that we must ask in his name, which is why many end prayers with “In Jesus’ name, Amen.”  He says that for our prayers to be answered they must be in accordance with God’s will. John 15:7 says, “If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.” Prayer is a great privilege allowed by God. We can be heard by God through Christ, and God commands us to ask him to intercede on our behalf. God has a plan that involves us that is accomplished through Him answering our prayers. Sometimes that answer is yes, and sometimes it is no. However, we always receive an answer. As the saying from the 1773 hymn by William Cowper goes, “God works in mysterious ways.”

All the teaching of Jesus on prayer taken together points to a life of faith. We must have faith that we are in line with the will of God, and He will answer us if we have faith and accept His answer. Mark 11:24 says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” This verse seems to be saying that God will grant any request we make of Him as long as we believe, but there are limitations on what God is willing to provide and we are bound by the laws of nature and the universe. Prayer is not a means by which God serves us. James 4:3 says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Therefore, prayer is a means by which we serve God. Prayer is not a means by which we get our will done in heaven, but a means by which God gets His will done on earth. 

We are all in need of prayer and the comfort praying provides. James 5:16 states, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” James is encouraging us to express our dependence on God, which is done through prayer. In previous verses, James asked his readers to respond to trouble by praying to God, to respond to cheerfulness by singing songs of praise, and to respond to illness or spiritual weakness by asking fellow Christians to pray for them. James believed that Christians should surround themselves with other Christians. We need fellow believers with whom we can trust and be vulnerable. That does not mean we should only surround ourselves with believers. We need diversity in our relationships in order to grow. 

In today’s world, few Christians are practicing unconditional love in any specific way. Some Christians have a bad habit of judging others, which is not their place. Many Christians ignore Matthew 7:1-3, which says “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye?” Because we fear the judgment of others, we’re too afraid to be vulnerable to others. We need a world in which we can offer support and without judgment to others in need. The world would be a far better place if more of us prayed for each other. After all, James writes, prayer works. God listens and responds. Prayer is powerful and effective because God hears and takes action. 

“A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. 

– Matthew 21:28-32

The Parable of the Two Sons is a parable told by Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. It contrasts the tax collectors and prostitutes who accepted the message taught by John the Baptist with the “religious” people who did not.

The first son initially disobeyed his father’s command by refusing to work in the vineyard, but later he repented and obeyed. In the end, he did the will of his father. While his earlier refusal was a sin, the father was willing to accept the son’s repentance and allow him to serve anyway. So, the son was credited with doing the will of the father in the end. The first son was forgiven, just as we will be forgiven by God, Our Heavenly Father, for doing what is right.

However, the second son did not do the will of his father, though he agreed to. His agreement was a lie, and his failure to go was evidence that he never intended to do the father’s will. So not only did the second son fail to obey the word of his father, but he also lied about his intentions, which showed him to be a hypocrite.

The moral of this parable by Jesus is the second son was a picture of the hypocritical Pharisees, who claimed to do the will of the Father in Heaven yet did not obey God’s word. Jesus says that these men will not be in the Kingdom of God, while lessor Jews like prostitutes would be in the Kingdom because they repented and accepted Jesus as the Messiah, which resulted in their forgiveness. 

So, the first son exemplifies sinners who will enter into Heaven by repenting and obeying the Gospel. In contrast, the second son represents the hypocrites, the self-righteous religious leaders who talk about serving God but live in disobedience to God’s Word. In this example, the people who look the least religious will enter God’s kingdom ahead of religious leaders, because, in the end, they did God’s will.

The parable reminds us that actions speak louder than words. Many churches and Christian organizations claim their mission is to spread Christianity and God’s love, but many times, they only spread hate, especially when it comes to homophobia. There is a spiritual battle today among Christians. Some of us believe in Jesus and His Great Commandment from Matthew 22:37-39:

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

However, instead of following God’s Word, some follow false teachers Jesus who warned against in Matthew 7:15-20:

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits.

Today’s false teachers (among other fanatics out there) erroneously profess their delusion that our current president is sent from God. They claim he is like King David in the Old Testament. But what does that mean, and how could they possibly conceive of such nonsense? According to the Old Testament, David had a weakness for women. As David conquered surrounding territories through a series of wars and his kingdom grew, he took on more wealth — and more wives and concubines. His descent into sin began one night when David was on his palace’s rooftop and saw a beautiful lady named Bathsheba bathing. She was married to Uriah the Hittite, a soldier fighting in David’s army. This did not discourage David, and he sent messengers to get her. When she was brought to him, he seduced her, and she became pregnant. To cover his sin, David arranged to have Uriah killed while the soldier was fighting a group called the Ammonites. In 2 Samuel 11:14-15, David wrote a letter to one of his commanders telling him to “Set Uriah in the forefront of the hardest fighting, and then draw back from him, that he may be struck down, and die.” After Uriah was killed, David took Bathsheba to be one of his wives.

We are told God was furious with David and sent a prophet named Nathan to deliver David a message: “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.'” (2 Samuel 12:10) The remainder of David’s rule was filled with tragedy. David and Bathsheba’s first child died. (But their second child, named Solomon, survived and later became king of Israel.) David also faced multiple rebellions, including one led by his son Absalom. While David succeeded in stopping the rebellion, Absalom was killed in battle, and David mourned his death. In David’s final year of rule, fighting broke out over who would succeed him. To resolve the issue, David had to get up from his deathbed to announce that Solomon would be king.

David was undoubtedly flawed, but we are told that David loved God no matter his later flaws, and God loved David. The problem with the comparison is that David and Trump are nothing alike. While Trump would like to be king, he is not. Trump also gained great wealth through dishonest business conquests; he is not a great warrior or leader, as David is said to have been. Trump is a philanderer just as David was, but Trump does not love God. Trump consistently lies, cheats, steals, and flaunts the laws of our nation. His evangelical followers are completely deceived by a dangerous con man. They cannot conceive that he could do any wrong because he claims to be anti-abortion. Abortion seems to be the only word that makes people who claim to follow Jesus disregard everything Jesus taught over an issue Jesus never discussed. We know that abortion was practiced in biblical times. In his Theaetetus, the ancient Greek philosopher Plato mentions a midwife’s ability to induce abortion in the early stages of pregnancy. So, while it was a known practice, Jesus never discussed it or even alluded to the practice. 

When the history of Trump’s presidency is written, it will not look kindly on him or his administration. It will also not look kindly on Trump’s evangelical supporters, just as it does not look kindly on the antebellum Christians who used the Bible to justify slavery or any myriad of other offenses to God advocated by people who profess to be Christian. No matter how pious they claim to be, these evangelical Trump supporters will always be on the wrong side of history. Just as Matthew 7:21-23 says,

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

Those of us who love our neighbor as ourselves and believe in equality and charity are derided continuously by the evangelical Trump cultists for supporting a party which believes in egalitarianism, social equality, protecting the environment, and strengthening the social safety net through liberalism. These are all things that align with the teachings contained in the Sermon on the Mount. As Democrats, we support voting rights and minority rights, especially LGBTQ+ rights, multiculturalism, and religious secularism, while Trump supporters advocate fear, anger, discord, and discrimination. I know there are some Democrats for whom Joe Biden was not their first choice. Still, just as the first son in the parable went to work in the vineyard after telling his father he wouldn’t, we need to rally around Joe Biden to defeat Donald Trump no matter who we initially supported. However, we cannot be like Lindsey Graham and Ted Cruz, who derided Trump before he became president, but now cannot show enough support for him. They are like the second son who said the right thing initially and opposed the egomaniacal bully, but currently support him and have turned against everything they professed they believed.

Let us be like the first son! Let us follow through and support Joe Biden because he is what this country needs right now. Contrary to the beliefs of the evangelical Christian right, we are loved by God, and we will prevail.

Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.

– James 3:1

Our brains seem uniquely adapted to making sense of experiences through stories. We tell stories and listen to them not just in our daily conversation, but on the news, in the movies, and in novels. The Bible is filled with stories to help us make sense of the world around us. Most of Christ’s teachings are done using parables. Perhaps even more than the stories we tell in our daily lives, biblical stories and parables invite us to reflect on our most profound experiences whether of God, our families, our community or the terrors and pleasures of life. In other words, these stories aim to make us think about important matters. Rather than telling us how or what to think, they force us to find out what we believe and how to respond. If we’re lucky, we are rewarded with insight and perspective we would otherwise miss engrossed as we usually are in more commonplace matters. 

When studied together, biblical stories help join us to others and shape our identity as a community. These sacred stories are less concerned with facts and details than in the “truth” of experience whether of a moral, a spiritual, or a psychological nature. They teach us about the human condition and the many ways in which human beings have encountered God. They teach us how we might best respond to God in our own lives.

The Bible also contains many stories about individuals who face life’s difficulties leaving home and traveling long distances to meet uncertain futures. Some flee to escape the murderous rage of brothers or abuses heaped upon them. Others are abandoned by lovers. They have journeys just as we do. These individuals are recognizably flawed, and we are meant to identify with them. How these characters handle the events of their lives and God’s role in supporting them through such trials are among the stories’ essential lessons for the reader. 

As a blogger, I tell stories in each of my posts. Sometimes, the story is about my life; other times, the story is about history. Even the “Picture of the Day” tells a story. It’s the old English adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” When it comes to telling our own stories, we must ask ourselves some questions: Why do we tell our story? How do we tell our story? Which story do we tell? And, to whom do we tell? When I write a post about my life, I consider each of these questions. Storytelling can be powerful, but sometimes it’s just entertaining. Other times, I hope, they are thought-provoking. Storytelling can connect us in many ways, and they can teach us about the many truths in life.

The Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie wrote, “Many stories matter. Stories have been used to dispossess and to malign. But stories can also be used to empower and to humanize. Stories can break the dignity of a person. But stories can also repair that broken dignity.” When we as LGBTQ+ individuals tell our stories truthfully and honestly, we can change people’s attitudes and make the LGBTQ+ community more visible. Through our stories, we show the need not only for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in all aspects of society, but also for the gifts LGBTQ+ people have to offer to ourselves and to others. Sometimes, this includes digging deep to find the courage to come out, and to give ourselves grace and forgiveness for our past mistakes.

American screenwriter, producer, and actress Lena Waithe said, “I’m writing my story so that others might see fragments of themselves.” What she says in her quote is a large part why I try to be as open and honest about my life as possible. Whether I am telling about my own of coming out journey, living as a closeted gay man in the South, my work and teaching career, the journey of my faith, or my struggles with headaches and depression, I tell these stories, so others might realize they are not alone. The most important thing is to be honest in our stories.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” –John 8:31-32

Telling stories can be a liberating experience for the teller and the hearer. It can provide us with a catharsis which can be valuable in its own right. And yet, if we want to bring about change, catharsis alone is insufficient. They can inspire, empower, and educate us. They can lead us and those around us to action.

How can our stories lead to action? When we begin with the end in mind, our stories are powerful engines for change. When I tell a story, I always wonder: how will my readers respond? When someone hears how I was afraid in the beginning to tell my friends I am gay, will they realize they too should find someone with whom they can truly trust before taking the first step coming out? When writing about how something as simple as going to an LGBTQ+ event by myself can be daunting because of social anxiety, will others empathize and see themselves in that situation? Will they have the courage to go it alone when necessary? When I share how my faith and sexual orientation have informed and enriched my life, does it show other Christians that churches should be inclusive and allow LGBTQ+ people to participate fully? When I tell stories of the incredible support from my straight friends, will others take steps to be vocal and visible allies? 

Sadly, the often, overriding, public narrative of LGBTQ+ lives is one of shame, sorrow, hurt, heartache, and injustice. Read most LGBTQ+ novels from before approximately fifteen years ago, and you will see they are all about hardship. The earliest gay fiction always ended badly. The first gay book I ever read was the 1956 novel, Giovanni’s Room, by James Baldwin. While the book is noteworthy for its complex representations of homosexuality and bisexuality, the book ends with David’s mental pictures of Giovanni’s execution and his own guilt. Nowadays, and especially within the male/male romance genre, stories often have a much happier and hopeful ending. With the changes taking place around the world for LGBTQ+ rights, there is hope out there.

A popular counter-narrative to the one of despair is that of normalcy. When people say, “The people in the gay community are just like everyone else; we just happen to be gay,” it’s well-intentioned, but if we’re really honest, it’s incomplete. We are not just like everyone else, and we should value these differences. Equality and unity are not the same as conformity. When we only tell sad stories or stories of normalcy, what stories are we leaving out? How can we relate the real harms we have suffered, and the real injustices which need to be corrected without hosting a pity party? How can we tell stories of our strength and resiliency while noting that our differences are part of what make us beautiful?

Finally, to whom should we tell our stories? We must take our stories to the places where they are not heard. Sharing our stories is inherently a form of activism and must always be a personal decision. No one is required to come out nor share their story. Safety and survival should be the priority. For those of us who can come out and want to, when we take our stories to unpopular places, we bring truth and justice with our mere presence. Where do our stories need to be heard? We can tell our stories at work, in our schools, in organizations we work with, to our friends, our family members, extended family, neighbors, and our blog readers. 

How do you share your story? 

As we journey through a tumultuous 2020 and enter into an unknown of what the rest of 2020 will bring us, it is helpful to remember that God has a plan for our lives. Jeremiah 29:11 is just such a reminder.

Many Christians know and cling to this verse by itself. But when we understand its historical and literary context, most will find that it takes on a more profound, more relevant, and even more powerful meaning for their lives. Context is always important in understanding a passage of scripture. Often scripture is taken out of context and given a meaning entirely different from its intended purpose. 

For historical context, Jeremiah spoke these words to Jews. They were under the domination of the Egyptian and then Babylonian Empires. Under the Babylonians, the Jews were sent into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon. We can only imagine what it would be like to live under your enemies’ domination and then to be forced by those enemies to leave your homeland and settle in a foreign country. 

For the literary context, the previous chapter tells us that Jeremiah has just denounced the false prophet Hananiah. God had commanded Jeremiah to wear a yoke as a sign of the impending captivity, humiliation, and servitude of the Jewish people by the Babylonians. Hananiah told the people that God would break Babylon’s yoke, freeing the people to return home within two years. To make his point, Hananiah took the yoke from Jeremiah’s neck and broke it as a token that the yoke, which had been imposed by Nebuchadnezzar on Israel, would also soon be broken.

Hananiah’s prediction sounded reasonable at the time. This event occurred in about 594 B.C. when Nebuchadnezzar was occupied in a battle against Egypt and could pay little attention to his client-state Judah. Rumors spread that Babylon was weakening. So, Hananiah’s message undoubtedly sounded appealing to the people, but it was a lie. God commanded Jeremiah to tell Hananiah to replace the wooden yoke with an iron one. The yoke to be endured by the Israelites would be stronger than the former one had been. Jeremiah prophesized that Jewish people would live in Babylon for at least 70 years. He is warning them so that they would settle down, build houses, marry, and even pray for the city’s peace and prosperity in which they now found themselves. 

When understood in context, we discover that the words of Jeremiah 29:11 were spoken to people in the midst of hardship and suffering; people who were likely desiring a quick rescue like the one Hananiah tried to persuade them to believe. But God’s response is not to provide an immediate escape from the problematic situation. Instead, God promises that He had a plan for the Jewish people to succeed in their current circumstances. 

When facing difficult situations today, we can take comfort in Jeremiah 29:11 knowing that it is not a promise to immediately rescue us from hardship or suffering, but rather a guarantee that God has a plan for our lives. Regardless of our current situation, He can work through it to help us thrive and give us hope for the future.

Furthermore, Christians can take comfort in knowing that God promises to be there for us in the most challenging situations. For in the verses immediately following Jeremiah 29:11, God proclaims through Jeremiah that when you “call on me and come and pray to me… I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 19:12-13).

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Psalms 23:3

Have you ever emerged from a long hot shower and felt completely restored? Maybe it’s when you first wake up in the morning and hop in the shower and you feel refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Maybe it’s after a good workout and you are tired and sore, but you take that long hot shower and you step out feeling like a new person. God can do that for us too. Maybe you are sad or frustrated after receiving bad news. Maybe you are going through trying times I think we’ve all experienced trying times to some degree during 2020 and the pandemic. God can act as our long hot shower to refresh you and restore your faith. Always remember that God wants us to appreciate life even when we’re going through tough situations. Next time you’re in one of those situations, whether a family member is sick, you’re out of work, or things just aren’t falling into place, remember that God has a bigger plan for you.

The world is facing inescapable challenges: a rapidly changing climate, the risk of nuclear conflict, trade wars, a rising China, and an aggressive Russia, millions of refugees seeking shelter and security, and attacks on universal human rights and fundamental freedoms. Our next leader must repair our relationships with our allies and stand up to strongmen and thugs on the global stage to rally the world to meet these challenges. We can reclaim our longstanding position as a moral and economic leader of the world.

Today, we are in a battle for the soul of our nation. With the Black Lives Matter Movement, LGBTQ+ discrimination by the current administration, the health and welfare of the citizens of the world during this pandemic, and the last 3+ years of the Trump Administration, we are at a dangerous crossroads. Do we allow a Christian Right that props up a leader without morals and who lacks compassion, or do we try to restore the soul of the United States? Right now, we need to remember who we are. We’re Americans: tough, resilient, but always full of hope. It’s time to treat each other with dignity. Build an economy that works for everybody. Fight back against the incredible abuses of power we’re seeing. It’s time to dig deep and remember that our best days still lie ahead if we elect a true leader who is filled with empathy, compassion, and Christian faith. We must win the battle for the soul of the nation to preserve the dignity of the Republic.