“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, Gentleness and self-control.” Galatians 5:22-23
I can go on and on about God’s faithfulness…especially with His faithfulness in communicating with us through His Word.…. When you look up the word “word” in the Greek…it gives us two different types or applications. The first type is logos, which is the actual written word…the second type of “Word” is rhema, which is a word that speaks to you personally…a word that God directly speaks to your spirit. It’s an amazing thing…but Jesus did say that His sheep will hear His voice. If we are truly tuned into God…all we have to do is quiet down and listen for His still small voice.
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
I’m going to share a scripture I recently read that was a rhema word… it really spoke volumes to me. It seems like a scripture can just be a logos (the written word) one day, and then it can turn into a rhema word at the exact time you need a word spoken personally to you. Does this make sense?
These are words the Lord spoke through the Prophet Jeremiah. This is the just after the Babylonians took Israel into captivity and exiled them to Babylon…
“Build homes and plan to stay. Plant gardens, and eat the food they produce. Marry and have children. Then find spouses for them so that you may have many grandchildren. Multiply! Do not dwindle away! And work for the peace and prosperity of the city where I sent you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, for its welfare will determine your welfare.” Jeremiah 29:5-7
Israel absolutely did not want to be exiled to Babylon…they were mourning the loss of their homeland, their loved ones, and everything else they held dear. I want to point out that even though they were devastated at what just happened to them…God instructed them to move ahead with their lives, and He even had the “audacity” to tell them to pray for the nation that enslaved them.
I thought to myself…”How many times have I wanted life to come to a grinding halt during troubled times? How often have I wanted to give up and just quit when times got tough?” I can think of more than a few times.
Sometimes life just doesn’t make sense. Unpleasant or distressing times…these are pivotal points in our lives. Also, God tells them to pray for Babylon? What? Pray for the nation that enslaved them? We think the same way. It’s incredibly hard to pray for those who are in authority of us, especially if they are evil, but 1 Timothy 2:1-2 tells me that is when our prayers are needed the most…
“I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.”
When we enter times of trouble or sudden change, we have to pray with perseverance and diligence. We need to “keep moving ahead,” doing whatever we can, rather than giving up because of fear or uncertainty.