“Call to Me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
Is praying worth it? We pray and the answers seem to take a long time to come or the answers aren’t what we were expecting.
Jeremiah 33:3 is an amazing promise. But what does it mean? What things does the Lord do as we call upon Him? What does He show us/tell us?
The context is all important. Israel was surrounded by enemies and about to be sent away into exile. They were going to lose some battles (at first, it would look like the Lord had not answered) before the answers came.
If you have time, read Jeremiah 33. Here are the “great and hidden things” that the Lord says He will do for them – and He still does for His people today:
1. To transform our situation. “In this place of which you say, ‘It is a waste without man or beast’… there shall be heard again the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness… the voices of those who sing, as they bring thank offerings to the house of the Lord.” (v10-11). Total disaster would be transformed. He hasn’t changed. He is still able to do the impossible.
2. To reveal Jesus. “In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David” (v15). This is a prophecy about the coming of Jesus. Israel’s cries to God in their trouble were part of God’s plan to bring the Saviour. For us, Jesus has come already, but troubles bring us to our knees, troubles show us how much we need Him, and troubles provide an opportunity to receive His deliverance. Troubles also are “preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17), where we will see Jesus face to face in glory.
3. To keep us from falling. “Thus says the Lord: If I have not established my covenant with day and night… then I will reject the offspring of Jacob” (v25-26). Israel had been complaining that the Lord had rejected them (v24), but God is saying, “as certain as the day follows night, so certain is My commitment to you – so I will not reject you.” The thing that the Lord shows us today through our prayers is that He is never, ever, ever going to reject you however big the trouble is and however much you might fail and sin.
These are precious things that the Lord does in answer to our prayers. So, it is worth praying. We can pray with complete assurance because “the Lord is good… His steadfast love endures forever” (v11).
The best is yet to come 