Jeremiah 29:12

NASB                  Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.

NLT                       In those days when you pray, I will listen.

VOICE                At that time, you will call out for Me, and I will hear. You will pray, and I will listen.

Responding to Their Pleas

In the time of Jeremiah 29, the Israelites are in Babylonian exile in the midst of Judah’s covenant failure and exile. To call on God shows that they are repentant of their disobedient behavior and are seeking a renewed relationship with Him. God wants us to call on Him in times of troubles. Doing so shows how we dependent on God and acknowledge His power. The Israelites were far away from their homeland and temple in Jerusalem. The movement back to God shows a desire to be faithful to God and obey Him. Prayer was the most direct way to communicate with God. For Jeremiah, prayer meant returning to God as well, seeking His guidance and divine intervention. Their prayers would have been filled with hopes for deliverance out of the bondage of slavery and the hope for restoration into their own community. God’s promise to listen reignites their hope in moments of feeling abandoned. God is attentive and willing to respond to their cries. God is faithful to His people and wants a relationship with them, despite their past obedience.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Have you ever felt unheard by God? What did that feel like? How did you overcome those feelings?

Truly Listen

What does it mean that “God will listen?” The Hebrew word Jeremiah uses here is shama`(shah-MAH). This word goes beyond the standard act of physical hearing. It embraces the acts of physically listening, intellectually understanding something, a moral response to a command, and a divine action from God as a response to a pray. Jeremiah uses this word earlier in Jeremiah 6:10 to describe the hardened heart that the Israelites had towards God. Divine hearing, as described in Jeremiah 29;12, assures God’s care for those that obey and consequences for those that don’t.

God wants us all to call out to him about everything that we hear, especially for all of our troubles. When we get in trouble or find ourselves in stressful situations, we tend to try and fix these situations ourselves. We try to own up to our problems and work discretely with the hurt party for a solution. We lie or try to cover it up to keep it hidden from public eye. We try to mask our stress and our emotional response to it by telling others “We’re good” solely because we don’t want to be a burden to someone else.

God wants us to share everything in truth and honestly. No matter the situation, God wants us to be honest. God knows our heart and wants us to work towards a place of reconciliation and repentance. God receives our honesty without shame and invites us into healing. God invites us to be honest and to grow in trust, healing, and faithfulness. God allows us to approach Him boldly and confidently, sharing everything that rest on our heart. Sharing everything with God releases it from our hearts and allows us to work towards a place to overcome our sinful behaviors and mindsets. God replaces these things with the fruits of the Spirit and works towards a place that instills in us an attitude of following and reverence.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you share what’s on your heart to God, without feelings ashamed or embarrassed?

PRAY Action

Hi God. Thank you for listening to me. It’s not always that I feel this way. There’s been times when my prayers and pleas have felt unheard and avoided. However, I recognize that your response is different than the response of another person. Your timing is good. Your response is just. Your answers are quiet. However, you hear us all. Help me to have trust and faith in your responses and allow me to not hold back what weights heavy for me to you. Let me bring everything to you boldly and confidently. It’s in your name, I pray. Amen.