Jeremiah 32:16

I. The occasion for the prayer.

A. Jeremiah has received a command from the Lord that seemed

totally ludicrous.

1. The Babylonian armies are at the present moment

besieging he city of Jerusalem, and Jeremiah knows

that they are to take the city and that they will be

taken as captives to Babylon for 70 years.

2. The Lord told him to buy his cousins field that was

coming up for sale.

3. The Babylonians are already camped on the field.

B. Jeremiah did as the Lord commanded him, but he had

problems in his own mind concerning the wisdom of such a

command.

1. He did the proper thing that a person should do

when he has a problem with God. He took it to God

in prayer.

2. Sometimes people will talk to everyone they can find

to talk with them concerning their problem with God,

but they never talk with God.

3. It is of special interest to me that Jeremiah prayed

after he had obeyed the command. We so often will

not obey until we have resolved all of the issues.

II. The prayer of Jeremiah, "I prayed unto the Lord." Note that the prayer is for the most part worship. A. He acknowledges God as the creator. "Thou hast made the heaven and the earth, by thy great power and stretched out arm." 1. Look out at the vast Universe, the One you are calling on made that whole Universe, and set the Galaxies, stars and planets in their orbits. 2. Look at the various life forms on this earth. He designed them all, and fitted them for survival. a. I was thinking about the skunk, how that it is a rather timid and weak animal with very little capacity to defend itself against the predators except for that pungent odor that it is able squirt at its foes. b.

What if the skunk exuded a fragrant aroma, like say some exotic perfume. 3. The God you are calling on has not only great powers but also infinite wisdom. B. There is nothing too hard for You. 1. There are many things that are too hard for me, that is one of the great incentives for prayer. 2. Prayer is often a desperate cry for help, I am in over my head. 3. Not only is there nothing too hard for Him, there is nothing that is even difficult for Him. 4. Our problems that are insurmountable to us are as nothing to Him.

C. "You show lovingkindness unto the thousands." 1. He is a loving God, in fact that is one of the chief characteristics of His nature. 2. The scriptures tell us that God is love. 3. They also tell us that He loved the world so much that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life. D. "The Great, the Mighty God, the Lord of hosts is His name." 1. Some people have gods that are not so great. Gods that bring them into captivity and bondage to things that destroy. 2.

Whatever ambition, desire, or ideal that rules your life is your god. a. Some are ruled by money. b. Others are ruled by the desire for sex. c. Some are ruled by the desire for fame. d. None of these are wrong in their place, but to be a slave to them is sad. 3. He is a mighty God. In fact He introduced Himself to Abraham as the Almighty God. El Shaddai. 4. Lord of hosts. We are told in the scriptures of the vast hosts of angels in heaven. In one place they are numbered at over a hundred million, plus millions of millions. 5.

They are there to do His bidding and will. 6. When Peter drew his sword to try to defend Jesus in the garden as they were arresting Him, Jesus said, "Put away your sword, do you not realize that I could order 10,000 angels to come to My defense if I so pleased?" E. Great in counsel. 1. One of the names of Jesus was to be "Wonderful Counselor." 2. Confused? Don't what to do, or where to turn? Why not get on your knees and seek the counsel of God? 3. People will pay Psychiatrists and Psychics thousands of dollars for what is often worthless advice. 4.

God is free. F. He is the all seeing God. "His eyes are open on all the ways of the sons of men." 1. The scriptures tell us that everything is naked and open before Him. 2. You cannot hide from God, you do not hide from God. You are only deceiving yourself if you think that you are getting away with your evil. G. He is a just God. "To give to every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of His doings." 1. The Bible says that every man will receive a just recompense of reward. 2.

One thing that Bible stresses over and over again, and that is the justice of God. 3. So many times with a crook is let off by our judicial system, we hear them say, "Its so good to know that the system works." I do not believe that many people have confidence in the true justice of our judicial system any longer. 4. One thing you can be sure of, and that is you will get a fair trial before God. H. He is the God of signs and wonders. He showed them in the land of Egypt when He brought the descendants of Jacob out of their bondage. 1.

He showed them signs and wonders when He led them through the wilderness. 2. He showed them signs and wonders as He conquered their enemies as He gave to them the land that He had promised to the descendants of Abraham. 3. To the present day He is still showing signs and wonders to these people. I. He is a God that keeps His word. "And You have given them this land that You swore to their fathers to give to them.

III. He finally comes to his petition.

A. He has been praying the whole time, but the first part

is recognition, and acknowledgment. This form of prayer

is known as worship.

1. It is good to begin your prayer time with a time of

worship.

2. Through worship things are placed in proper

perspective.

a. I recognize the power of the One who has

pledged Himself to help me.

b. It is no longer me against the problem, but

Him against the problem. The problem is too

great for me, but it is nothing for Him.

B. Basically he is seeking for understanding as to why God

would command him to purchase the field, that was

obviously such a poor investment.

C. As you finish the chapter you will find that the Lord was

gracious and answered his prayer, and explained to him

that his purchase of the field would serve as a testimony

to the people of his confidence in the promises of God.