Today’s devotional comes from Pray As You Go, an online devotional resource. You can find an audio version here. The recording is a little over ten minutes and includes beautiful music.

Today is Thursday the 11 March, in the third week of Lent.

One Hope Project sings, ‘In Your Truth’.

Today’s reading is from the Prophet Jeremiah.

Jeremiah 7:23-28

But this command I gave them, ‘Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk only in the way that I command you, so that it may be well with you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but, in the stubbornness of their evil will, they walked in their own counsels, and looked backwards rather than forwards. From the day that your ancestors came out of the land of Egypt until this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day; yet they did not listen to me, or pay attention, but they stiffened their necks. They did worse than their ancestors did. So you shall speak all these words to them, but they will not listen to you. You shall call to them, but they will not answer you. You shall say to them: This is the nation that did not obey the voice of the Lord their God, and did not accept discipline; truth has perished; it is cut off from their lips.  

‘Obey my voice and I will be your God Walk only in my way and it will be well with you.’ How do these instructions sit with you? Do you find them to be peaceful words, easy to follow? Or is there a tension, a pulling in your heart about them?  

God continues, ‘They did not listen to me, or pay attention, but they stiffened their necks.’ Perhaps there are times, due to your own circumstances, when you have hardened your heart towards God, you are stiff necked? You have stopped listening and have lost your desire to follow him.  Talk with God about this now, in the quietness of your heart.  

Listen to the reading again and notice your reaction to it this time around…  

In the second part of the reading God tells Jeremiah that he will speak but God’s people will not accept discipline or listen, so truth has perished. Perhaps you find it easy to listen to God, or maybe it’s something you struggle with, or something you feel closed to at present. Try using these last minutes to simply ‘incline your ear’ to the Lord as He desires.

You have given all to me. To you, Lord, I return it. Everything is yours; do with it what you will. Give me only your love and your grace,
that is enough for me.