“the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, (…) said: ‘I have broken the power of the king of Babylonia. Within two years I will bring back to this place (…). I will also bring back the king of Judah, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, along with all the people of Judah who went into exile in Babylonia. Yes, I will break the power of the king of Babylonia. I, the LORD, have spoken.’” Jeremiah 28:2-4 GNBThis sounds like good news, right? But it was not true at that time. It was what the people wanted to hear.It seems like the world is still groaning under everything we have been through in the past year and we long for good news. Paul had the best news ever for a slightly different situation about legalism, but it fits everything, really: “All such things are only a shadow of things in the future; the reality is Christ.” Colossians 2:17 GNBLast year as our retreats got canceled and the world swirled into chaos, these words took on significance. When all else is stripped away, do we still have Jesus? Can we strip away all else and still have a message of hope? Yes!“I have confidence in your strength; you are my refuge, O God. (…)But I will sing about your strength; every morning I will sing aloud of your constant love. You have been a refuge for me, a shelter in my time of trouble. I will praise you, my defender. My refuge is God, the God who loves me.” Psalms 59:9, 16-17 GNBToday we can rise up in this hope we have in Jesus. Truth is, He HAS broken the power of the prince of darkness. And He DOES restore our lives. He IS our refuge.
