Jeremiah 3:19  “How gladly would I treat you like sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.  I thought you would call me Father and not turn away from following me.”

How can I describe the power of this verse and what it reveals?  I am not aware of any other verse in the Old Testament that so reveals God’s heart for His people and the pain of their rejection – its impact upon Him.  The context of chapter 3 is one of God calling Israel to come back to Him.  They would call out to Him but at the same time they were doing all the evil they could do.  They would say one thing and do another!

And Judah was just as bad!  In verse 3:12 He declares that Judah “did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense.”  He repeatedly calls for them to return to Him.  He will frown on them no longer and will be merciful; He will not be angry forever.  If only they will acknowledge their guilt and return to Him.

I don’t know how many times I read today’s verse before the Lord opened my eyes to see it as a window in to His heart.  The focus of the verse is Him – our God.  Yes, He’s speaking to His people and their failure to respond, but He’s allowing us to see how their rejection has impacted Him.  In spite of all He did, they did not call Him Father and follow Him with their lives.  It’s like His heart is bleeding all over the carpet.

This verse is such a powerful force to help me love Him.  More than anything else, God wants a people who love Him.  In addition, I never cease to be thrilled by the fact that my attitudes and actions can please Him.  Think of it!  We GET TO bring pleasure to our God.  Each and every day we have untold opportunities to say, think, act and respond in ways that tell Him of our love.

Yesterday’s devotional ended with the thought that I cannot imagine Him asking me, “What fault did you find in me?”  The pain of knowing that my life found fault with Him would be beyond bearing.  A similar thought applies to this today.  My life MUST NOT be one that would cause my Heavenly Father to lovingly look at me and say, “I thought you would call me Father and not turn away from following me.”  Let us renew our commitment to have our lives vibrantly express the He is our Father and we are following Him!