:Image from prayersofthepeople.blogspot.com
Hear the devotional here: https://anchor.fm/eradio-valverde/episodes/Lay-Down-Roots-Even-If-You-Have-to-Move-e1oq7qu
1 This is the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to what was left of the elders among the exiles, to the priests and prophets and all the exiles whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken to Babylon from Jerusalem, 4 This is the Message from God-of-the-Angel-Armies, Israel's God, to all the exiles I've taken from Jerusalem to Babylon: 5 "Build houses and make yourselves at home. "Put in gardens and eat what grows in that country. 6 "Marry and have children. Encourage your children to marry and have children so that you'll thrive in that country and not waste away. 7 "Make yourselves at home there and work for the country's welfare. "Pray for Babylon's well-being. If things go well for Babylon, things will go well for you." (Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7 The Message Bible)
Happy Wednesday, dear Friend! I pray this finds you being wonderful and bubbling with joy and peace! Amen? AMEN! Let us pray for one another; praying for those who have asked prayers of us, and may God bless them. I ask prayers for a dear friend, The Rev. Rob Clopton, retired pastor, who has a consultation with a surgeon in Houston with a surgeon this coming Monday. While we might shrug and say, "Ugh," Rob is thankful because a year or so ago, he was NOT a candidate for surgery! So, God is working and doing much in his life; may this surgery bring Rob complete healing and peace! Pray for the world and its needs. Pray for your church and her mission to the world; pray for all, I repeat, ALL the pastors you know! Even the old, worn-out ones, like yours truly! God's not through with them(us)!
If you had had a chance to talk to the 9 or 10 year old me and told me there was a whole nudder world out there, I would have probably said, uh, maybe, sure; but I didn't know from personal experience. I had traveled from Kingsville to San Antonio, and to Mission, to Bishop, and Rivera, Texas. Had you said, "You will see many places, talk to many people, and help people know about God's love through Jesus Christ, I would have run either to Tranquitas Creek, or to hide under my house, which was on blocks. I felt safe there. Had you told me I would marry a beautiful girl and have beautiful children and beautiful grandchildren, I would have dug a hole in which to hide! I was at home right where I was and as far as I knew my world was perfect! My father had a great job delivering milk and ice cream, and I was 100% certain that would be my job someday as well. I knew and loved my neighbors even the weird, stay-to-themselves-ones who seldom ventured outside. I loved my church, my pastor, my Sunday school teacher, my Methodist friends, and the world was a beautiful place. Now had you told me that at the age of 13 my life would be uprooted and some years later I would find myself not owning a home but instead living and moving from parsonage to parsonage, I would have run! Fast and far! Why? Because no one likes to be uprooted and transplanted in another area.
Such is what the prophet Jeremiah is facing as he writes this letter to the exiles, the uprooted Jews who were taken against their will to Babylon. And while most of the immigrants would have preferred a "Ye shall soon return home" message, this one says quite the opposite. God is telling them to set down roots and to flourish where they are. Again, not what they wanted to hear. I'm old enough, as are some of you, to remember the huge exodus of Cubans from their island and found a place to await the day when they could return home. This happened in the late 50s, early 60s, and one of my pastors there in Kingsville was one who left everything there and thought deep in their hearts and souls that the day would come that Fidel Castro would be deposed and a democratic style of government would return and everyone who left could return home. My pastor died some years ago and was buried in the Dallas area. His wife died not too long ago, and she is buried beside him. And thousands of expatriates of Cuba have also died. And also Fidel Castro died, and his government is still in charge of Cuba. To the credit of those who were transplanted, like my father and mother, my pastor and his wife and their children; they built houses and made themselves at home. They did all the passage says, gardens, their children married and had children and pretty much thrived in this new land. And, possible to the shock of these Jews, God tells them to pray for Babylon's well-being, and the promise, that "if things go well for Babylon, things will go well for you."
Just yesterday my bride and I were talking about our ministerial years and how a couple of times the spouse of another pastor, asked if we would consider trading places. They were unhappy with their assignment and wanted a change and our locale would serve them better. It doesn't work that way, my wife wanted to tell them, because this conversation was among spouses sharing their wishes and preferences, and two of them wanted our spot. Sorry. The word from God was for faithfulness to turn into fruitfulness begins with accepting where they were, praying for those who had them there and then working for the complete wellbeing of all concerned and the blessings would be ours as well. Yes, bitterness in the hearts of the transplanted was natural, but a bitter heart produces no blessings.
So, dear one, whatever your "Babylon," God is with you and will bless you as you seek to make the most of your situation now, working for the wellbeing of all people there, and in turn those blessings will be yours as well.
PRAYER: God, Who is everywhere and with everyone who invites You, be with us in whatever Babylon we find ourselves, and help us flourish; in Christ Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be a voice of hope to someone who is dreading their Babylon!
Receive my blessings of joy and hope,
Pastor Eradio Valverde
