It’s one thing to sing along to a catchy worship song about agreeing to “Make Room” for God and it’s another thing, entirely, to truly surrender ourselves to whatever it is that God is directing us towards…
In Jeremiah 29, we read about a letter that is sent from Jeremiah (aka, from God) to the people of Israel who had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon. When you imagine the relief of hearing directly from God in a place of fear, trauma and exile… you would likely not expect God to give instructions about building houses or planting gardens.
What do we do when God gives us blueprints for a new life in a strange and scary place rather than a one-way ticket out of there? Will we still choose to Make Room?
Although the words from God were nowhere close to what the people had expected, they were words of Hope.
Because God is the God of Hope and because God does declare plans for prospering and not of harm, this letter did not stir up despair or torment. Instead of outlining just how difficult things would be in the next seventy years of exile, God directed their attention to things they could begin to look forward to!
God hinted at feasts and celebrations, weddings and new life! And although it was the last thing the people of God might’ve wanted or expected to hear, I’d imagine those words from Jeremiah’s letter did eventually begin to stir up hope for their future.
One of the most difficult things God could ask us to do is to dream again.
First time dreams are much easier because the letdowns and disappointments haven’t hit yet. But over the years as we dream and live out realities that seem to be in complete opposition to the things we wish would happen, cynicism and despair can begin to take over.
During the journey towards maturity comes the lesson of choosing to believe that God truly IS able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine, instead of scoffing at His invitations to dream again.
How will we choose to Make Room when the Spirit of God begins to stir up new possibilities for dreams? How will we respond when the next step towards hope doesn’t actually look like the solution we long for?
My hope for all of us, myself included, is that we will be people marked by a stubborn determination to choose hope. That we will allow ourselves to learn new lessons in the midst of loss and disappointments and that we will support one another as we begin to reimagine what hope might look like.
God,
Would you please give us the strength to turn away from the temptations to scoff?
Would you please help us to choose a perspective that requires trust and faith in You, rather than siding with the “realistic” perspectives that reinforce doubt and cynicism?
As much as we might like to, this is something we can’t do alone… thank you for our community and for our church family! May we be a family who builds up and encourages one another to dream again and to Make Room for whatever it is that You want to do!
Amen