Our Loving Heavenly Father – Jeremiah 31:20

Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.

Jeremiah 31:20 (NIV)

“Is not Ephraim my dear son, the child in whom I delight? Though I often speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore my heart yearns for him; I have great compassion for him,” declares the Lord.”

Jeremiah 31:20 (MSG)

“Oh! Ephraim is my dear, dear son, my child in whom I take pleasure! Every time I mention his name, my heart bursts with longing for him! Everything in me cries out for him. Softly and tenderly I wait for him.” God’s Decree.”

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“Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a darling and beloved child? For as often as I have spoken against him,
I certainly still remember him. Therefore My affection is renewed and My heart longs for him; I will surely have mercy on him,” says the Lord.” -AMPLIFIED

“‘Is Ephraim my dear son? is he a pleasant child?” You might expect the answer to be, “No, he has lost the rights of childhood; he has been unpleasant and provoking to God, “ yet God does not give such an answer as that to his own questions, but he says:- “For since I spake against him, I do earnestly remember him still;” Notwithstanding that the Lord threatened him, and sent prophets to foretell evil to him because of his sin, yet he says, “I do earnestly remember him still;”-“Therefore my bowels are troubled for him; I will surely have mercy upon him saith the LORD.” What a wonderful speech for God to make! Even the infinitely-blessed God represents himself as in trouble concerning penitent sinners, remembering them in pity, and longing to have mercy upon them.” ~Charles Spurgeon

The Lord, who knows everything about us, from the beginning of our lives, till the end, foretold what the response of Israel would one day be to their sin. One day, they would come to the end of themselves and would declare:

“I have surely heard Ephraim moaning,
“You disciplined me, and I have been disciplined
like an untrained calf.
Take me back, so that I can return,
for you, Lord, are my God. After my return, I felt regret; after I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief.
I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.” -Jeremiah 31:18-19 (CSB)

And once they did reach that place, then the Lord, our loving Father, will respond in this way:

“So I, the Eternal One, asked: “Is this not Ephraim, My beloved son, My darling child? As often as I speak against him, I have never forgotten him. Even now, My heart longs for him; I will surely show him mercy!” -(VOICE)

The Lord’s response to Israel’s confession and realization will be that of a loving Father. His love for them will not have lessened. In fact, His love for them remained strong, hence why He says in the future His response to them will be:

“Is Ephraim My dear son? Is he a delightful child? Indeed, as often as I have spoken against him, I certainly still remember him; Therefore My heart yearns for him; I will certainly have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.” -(NASB)

Let us take note of a few things in this verse:

First, God looked on Israel as His dear, precious child.

Second, God had to discipline that child in order to train Him in the way he should go, but it that discipline was for a purpose, and it was done out of love.

Third, even though God needed to discipline Israel; His love for them did not lessen. He still longed for Israel, His heart yearned for the people.

Fourth, because of the Lord’s deep love for Israel, He knew that He needed to have mercy on this wayward child.

Let’s take a moment to look at something that Hosea recorded for us about God’s feelings towards Israel:

“When Israel was a child, I loved him; and out of Egypt I called My son. But the more I called to Israel the more they walked away from Me. They kept on sacrificing to other divine masters and burning incense to idols! But I was the one who taught Ephraim to walk, holding him up by his arms, but his people didn’t know I was the One who took care of them. I led them along with leather cords; with ropes of love I showed them the way. As I dealt with them, I lifted the yoke from their neck; I bent down to give them their food.” -Hosea 11:1-4 (VOICE)

The Lord goes on to say:

“But how can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I turn you over to your enemies, Israel? How can I give you away as I did Admah or treat you like Zeboiim? My heart is changed within Me, and all at once My compassion is stirred up. I will not carry out My burning anger; I will not destroy Ephraim completely. For I am God, not a human being; I am the Holy One in your midst; I won’t unleash My anger for an attack.” -Hosea 11:8-9 (VOICE)

How great is the love of the Father towards His children!

“And the Lord replies: Ephraim is still my son, my darling child. I had to punish him, but I still love him. I long for him and surely will have mercy on him.” -(TLB)

“We need to realize that God is a good Father, and sometimes that’s hard to do if our earthly fathers were deeply flawed. Perceiving God’s goodness – toward us – and the depths of His love are incredibly healing. Appreciating our privileges and responsibilities as children of God brings us deeper into our relationship with God and clarifies our role in life.” ~Fritz Chery

Scripture reminds us that the Lord is our loving, caring Heavenly Father. He cherishes us with an everlasting love that will never quit, and we can learn much from His Word about His great love for us. And we all need reminding of that love from time to time.

1.) God loved us while we were still sinners. “But think about this: while we were wasting our lives in sin, God revealed His powerful love to us in a tangible display—the Anointed One died for us.” -Romans 5:8 (VOICE)

2.) God’s love for us will never end: “How enduring is God’s loyal love; the Eternal has inexhaustible compassion. Here they are, every morning, new! Your faithfulness, God, is as broad as the day.” -Lamentations 3:22-23 (VOICE)

3.) Nothing can separate us from God’s love: “For I have every confidence that nothing—not death, life, heavenly messengers, dark spirits, the present, the future, spiritual powers, height, depth, nor any created thing—can come between us and the love of God revealed in the Anointed, Jesus our Lord.” -Romans 8:38-39 (VOICE)

4.) God’s love is personal; for He calls us His children: “Consider the kind of extravagant love the Father has lavished on us—He calls us children of God! It’s true; we are His beloved children. And in the same way the world didn’t recognize Him, the world does not recognize us either.” -1 John 3:1 (VOICE)

5.) God treats us as His natural born children: “Endure hardship as God’s discipline and rejoice that He is treating you as His children, for what child doesn’t experience discipline from a parent? But if you are not experiencing the correction that all true children receive, then it may be that you are not His children after all.” -Hebrews 12:7-8 (VOICE)

6.) God lovingly disciplines His children: “My son, do not ignore the Eternal’s instruction or lose heart when He steps in to correct you; because the Eternal proves His love by caring enough to discipline you, just as a father does his child, his pride and joy.” -Proverbs 3:11-12 (VOICE)

7.) God is merciful to us, not giving to us what we deserve: “Thankfully, God does not punish us for our sins and depravity as we deserve. In His mercy, He tempers justice with peace.” -Psalm 103:10 (VOICE)

“God loves you just as you are, but He also loves you enough to not let you stay how you are. He wants to see you grow and change for the better. He sent Jesus to die for your sins so this would be possible. When you receive God’s forgiveness and accept God’s help, you can begin to work toward positive, lasting change.” ~Faith Eng

My friend, our Heavenly Father, is a loving, caring father. He may need to discipline us, but His discipline is always tempered with mercy. He is not out to destroy us, but to help us to grow, and become a better person, the person He intends us to be. His love for us is strong, and deep, and consistent, unchanging. So, do not worry that you have been too sinful, too bad, too disobedient to be saved. He is patiently waiting for you to realize the depth of your sin, and for you to repent, confess that sin, and to turn back to Him. Do it today, please don’t wait.

“Everything a godly parent wants for their child; God wants for us. The Bible is His love letter to us, a letter to be treasured.” ~David Jeremiah

My Prayer:

Adonai Elohim, my Great Lord, here I am again, in need of your forgiveness. I confess, I have made a mess of things once again. I have foolishly thought that I could do life on my own. I have turned to other things to bring me satisfaction, something that only you can do. Please forgive me. I am so thankful that you are merciful and kind. I am so grateful for your love that never changes, for your mercies that are new every morning. Lord, you are so good to me. Thank you for allowing me to be part of your family. Help me to grow into the person that you have created me to be. I know I need your help, but you are waiting for me to be submissive to your tender hand. Lord, I surrender, help me to stay that way. Thank you, Lord. ❤