Who would know, that one of the most famous passages of the bible "For I know the plans I have for you,” says the lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." was spoken to a people that were exiled, captives in Babylon. There were probably two groups of responses the day this word went out from Jeremiah. One group would have greatly resented these words, almost as if Jeremiah was patronizing them. Here they are, at rock bottom, have just been taken from Jerusalem to Babylon, their city has fallen and they are now captives in a foreign land, "and you Jeremiah are going to tell me about the goods things God has for us, is this captivity part of that great plan...get out of here Jeremiah, before we stone you!". The other group of people would have believed Jeremiah; and taken those words as words of hope for a better future. I wonder which group I would have been in? The classic mantra of Christians and Non-Christians, to people that are down on their luck is always, "hold on, the future is bright" This saying has pretty much become cliché to say, in hard times. However, just because someone says it, just because it has become cliché, doesn't mean it's true!! There are times when we are being false prophets, just like Ahab, wanting to prophesy good news and we become false prophets for God because events get worse for that person, not better and then they remember what we had spoken to them about things getting better and they either resent us or God for it. Yet God is in the back round saying, "I never told them to say that!" There is not a rainbow at the end of every storm. There is not always light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes people die in the storm, sometimes people never come out of the tunnel to see the light. As Christians we have to be careful of what we say and what we speak, less we too become false messengers of hope. Many times events are actually going to get worse for people, because though we may love them, and wish the best for them, they are still unrepentant in their ways and it doesn't matter what you prophesy to them, it's not going to get better for them until they learn the lesson God is trying to teach them. Jeremiah is the true prophet in our story and Ahab is the false prophet. Ahab, is more like us. He does not hear from God and just wants to say nice and comforting things to people in distress. Jeremiah, unlike us, is not so concerned about speaking comforting words as he is speaking what God wants him to speak. Jeremiah has a keen ability to hear from God and prophecy's what is true, not what is comforting. Jeremiah does not prophecy out of the inclinations of his own heart, as many wannabe prophets do. Jeremiah tells them you might as well establish yourselves here, because you are gong to be here for quite a while. There is a hope, there is a future, but for now, this is where you are at and you might as well make the most of it because you are NOT leaving anytime soon. Most of us don't have the ability to hear from God the way Jeremiah did and often find ourselves being the false prophet Ahab, instead of the true prophet Jeremiah; and we don't do this on purpose, it is simply because we are trying to be what we are not and trying to predict a future that simply is not, for the ones we love and care for. But until they learn the lesson God is trying to teach them, they they'd better get used to where they are because they are going to be there for a while...., would you prophesy that to them?
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