Patiently the Lord Deals With Us -Jeremiah 32:37

Growing with God: A daily devotional with Tonia Slimm.

Jeremiah 32:37 (NIV)

^“I will surely gather them from all the lands where I banish them in my furious anger and great wrath; I will bring them back to this place and let them live in safety.”

Jeremiah 32:37 (MSG)

“‘Watch for this! I will collect them from all the countries to which I will have driven them in my anger and rage and indignation. Yes, I’ll bring them all back to this place and let them live here in peace.”

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“Behold, I will gather them out of all countries to which I have driven them in My anger, in My wrath and in great indignation; and I will bring them back to this place and make them live in safety.” -AMPLIFIED

“Though the city shall be taken, and you shall go into captivity; yet you shall not be utterly lost, I will gather you again, and you shall have as quiet a habitation as ever.” ~Matthew Poole

The Lord has been speaking to Jeremiah, reminding him that what He says is what matters. The Lord had told Jeremiah that the city would be taken by the king of Babylon, and it would happen this way:

“Now therefore, this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to this city about which you said, ‘It has been handed over to Babylon’s king through sword, famine, and plague’…” -Jeremiah 32:36 (CSB)

As we continue to study the Lord’s response to Jeremiah’s prayer, we find Him patiently reiterating what He has already told Jeremiah in the past:

“Look! I will gather My people from all the countries where I scattered them in My righteous anger, in My great wrath and fury. I will bring them back to this place, Jerusalem, and let them live here safely under My protection.” -(VOICE)

The Lord: “Look Jeremiah, I have already told you these things would happen. Yes, I will indeed scatter My people, allowing Nebuchadnezzar’s army to take them. They will be scattered across many different countries, which I will personally do because of their rebellious hearts and because I am angry with them. But…I will one day bring them safely home, home to Jerusalem, and I will they will live in peace and safety, protected by me.” -Tonia’s Translation

None of this was new to Jeremiah. The Lord had told him all of this before, and yet we find the Lord patiently explaining it all to him again.

“…but I will bring my people back again from all the countries where in my fury I will scatter them. I will bring them back to this very city and make them live in peace and safety.” -(TLB)

 “The same God who promised and fulfilled judgment also promised and would fulfill restoration. One was as sure as the other.” ~David Guzik

God is so patient with all of us, more than we deserve, and we test His patience a lot. Thankfully He is too.

David reminds us that the Lord does not give us what we deserve, but He tempers His justice:

“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)

David also tells us that God is slow to anger and full of compassion:

“But Lord, You are a God full of compassion, generous in grace, slow to anger, and boundless in loyal love and truth.” -Psalm 86:15 (VOICE)

“God’s patience is astonishing. The One who is greatly offended by every sin chooses to exhibit great patience.” ~Dawn Wilson

In fact, there are many, many Scriptures that remind us that God is patient and slow to anger with us. Here are just a few of those verses:

• “Rip the wickedness out of your hearts; don’t just tear your clothing. Now return to the Eternal, your True God. You already know He is gracious and compassionate. He does not anger easily and maintains faithful love. He is willing to relent and not harm you.” -Joel 2:13 (VOICE)
• “The Eternal is gracious. He shows mercy to His people. For Him anger does not come easily, but faithful love does—and it is rich and abundant.” -Psalm 145:8 (VOICE)
• “I am slow to get angry and overflow with consistently boundless love. I forgive wrongdoing and waywardness, but I don’t overlook the necessity for justice, so I punish the guilty ones’ third and fourth coming generations.” -Numbers 14:18 (VOICE)

Scripture warns us not to test the Lord’s patience:

• “Do you take the kindness of God for granted? Do you see His patience and tolerance as signs that He is a pushover when it comes to sin? How could you not know that His kindness is guiding our hearts to turn away from distractions and habitual sin to walk a new path?” -Romans 2:4 (VOICE)
• “Yes, but the Hebrew Scriptures also say, “You will not presume on God; you will not test the Lord, the one True God.” -Luke 4:12 (VOICE)
• “Don’t harden your hearts the way they did in the bitter uprising at Meribah where your ancestors tested Me though they had seen My marvelous power. For the 40 years they traveled on to the land that I had promised them, that generation broke My heart. Grieving and angry, I said, “Their hearts are unfaithful; they don’t know what I want from them.” -Hebrews 3:8-10 (VOICE)

“God is patient. He doesn’t have to learn it. He is it. He is not developing it. He continually displays it. I am grateful that I can count on the fact that the God of all grace and glory is patient.” ~Harry Reeder

My friend, God is so patient with us, not giving to us what we deserve. Why? Because He loves us. He is gracious, compassionate, and caring. He will do whatever it takes to turn our rebellious hearts back to Him. That being said, we should not be testing the Lord’s patience, and grieving Him. Let us make the choice to walk in His ways, and may the prayer of our heart echo what David prayed: “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, immovable] rock and my Redeemer.” -Psalm 19:14 (AMP)

“The patience of God is a beckoning hand, an open door, a pathway home. It comes to us as Jesus came to Matthew at the tax booth: not to condemn us, and not to comfort us in our sins either, but rather to turn us again to “seek the Lord while he may be found” (Isaiah 55:6), whether after a miserable lapse or simply a regrettable moment. Whoever and wherever we are, God’s patience invites our repentance.” ~Scott Hubbard

My Prayer:

Adonai Elohim, my Great Lord, you are so patient with your children, not giving them what they deserve. I am reminded that your mercies are new every morning, that you are kind, compassionate and loving. And I am so grateful that you are. I know I have tested your patience in the past, and for this I am sorry. Please forgive me. Help me to learn to be quick to obey. I realize, sometimes I am just like Jeremiah, and you have had to patiently explain things to me again and again because I have doubted you. Lord, help my faith and trust in you to grow stronger. I know you are able to do the impossible, help my unbelief, Lord. Thank you for being patient with me, especially since it seems that I have to go through the same lessons over and over again. You are so good to me.