Check out all the previous Esther readings here.
Esther Reading Plan | Week 1 | Day 4
Prayer
As you begin your time with God, where you are sitting or standing, put out your hands with your palm facing up. Pray a prayer acknowledging to God that you need Him and ask Him to fill you with Him today.
Bible Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Read these verses three times slowly.
“The days are coming,” declares the Lord,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the people of Israel
and with the people of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant
I made with their ancestors
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,”
declares the Lord.
“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel
after that time,” declares the Lord.
“I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbor,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
declares the Lord.
“For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more.”
Reflection & Questions
We’ve been considering our brokenness this week as we prepare for reading through Esther. We saw yesterday that we can try to fix our brokenness in all sorts of broken ways. Today, God offers his fix.
He tells Israel through his prophet Jeremiah:
“I will put my law in their minds, and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”
What is God’s solution? Himself. He will teach us. He will forgive us. He will restore us. “I will be their God, and they will be my people… they will all know me… for I will forgive their wickedness and remember their sins no more.”
We can search for an answer to our brokenness in all sorts of ways, but only in God is there true transformation. He is our creator. He is the one who delights in us. He is the only one who can forgive us. He is the only one who can teach us to be who we were made to be. We must look to Him.
- Would you say you know God? Why or why not?
- Do you believe you are forgiven for all your brokenness? Why or why not?
- Are you putting yourself in a position to be taught by God?
Prayer
Pray in response to today’s reading.
Worship Song
You might use this song today to worship Jesus today:
Prepare to Meet with Jesus
Go to your quiet place. When there are no devices around that will distract you, take a deep breath. Blow it out slowly. Do that again. And do it one last time. Ask God for His help to read and understand.
Bible Reading: Jeremiah 30:1-3
Read these verses three times slowly.
A message from the Lord came to Jeremiah. The Lord said, “I am the Lord. I am the God of Israel. I say, ‘Write in a book all the words I have spoken to you. A new day is coming,’?” announces the Lord. “?‘At that time I will bring my people Israel and Judah back from where they have been taken as prisoners. I will bring them back to this land. I gave it to their people of long ago to have as their own,’?” says the Lord.
Reflection & Questions
Do you ever get mail, like a card or a letter? What about email? Mail is a written message from someone. It’s usually someone you know with news they want you to know about. It could be an invitation to a birthday party or a Christmas card. Sometimes people think about the Bible as God’s letter to people.
God used special messengers to write down His letter. They were called prophets. They would hear from God in a special way. He would share a message for His people, and they would tell the people for Him. Sometimes, they wrote the message down. The prophet Jeremiah lived during the time when the people were taken into exile. (Remember, they were captured and forced to live in another country.)
Jeremiah had many messages for God’s people. Some were warnings, but this was a promise that God would not leave His people. In fact, it was a promise that He would help them come home to Israel and Judah someday. This gave the people hope that their troubles would not last forever.
- Do you like getting mail?
- How does it feel to think of the Bible as God’s letter to you?
- If we understand what things were like when God talked to His prophets, we can better understand His message. What does Jeremiah’s message from God tell you about God?
Pray
Tell God thank you for giving us messages through the prophets. Ask Him to help you understand His words. Ask Him to help you listen and learn.
Check out more Bible Reading Plans here.
Questions?
Ed Applegate
