Thursday August 17, 2006

Text for the Day -- Jeremiah 31:1-6
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At that time, says the Lord, I will be the God of all the families of
Israel, and they shall be my people.
Thus says the Lord:
The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
the Lord appeared to him from far away.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.
Again I will build you, and you shall be built,
O virgin Israel!
Again you shall take your tambourines,
and go forth in the dance of the merrymakers.
Again you shall plant vineyards
on the mountains of Samaria;
the planters shall plant,
and shall enjoy the fruit.
For there shall be a day when sentinels will call
in the hill country of Ephraim:
Come, let us go up to Zion,
to the Lord our God.

Devotional
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Jeremiah prophesied toward the future. The people of Israel had
experienced deep suffering. Jeremiah uses the image of dying by the
sword in the wilderness. God will rebuild. There will be dancing and
celebration. God's love will give life, new life, to God's people.
That is an encouraging word.

Prayer
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Thank you, God, for the times when you have led me out of sorrow into
dancing. Amen