Sun, Moon and Stars

We are studying Jeremiah in my class. I don’t know if you’ve read Jeremiah lately, but basically Israel has fallen and Judah’s up next. God is saying repent or horrible destruction is coming. No one believes Him.

Chapter 8 verse 2 says, “They will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped.” He is not speaking to people who do not acknowledge the God of the Bible. He’s talking to people who go to Temple every week, observe the feasts and offer sacrifices…the people He miraculously brought out of Egypt and set up in a great land….His people.

It’s really easy for a class of ladies in America in 2011 to just shoot right through that verse. Like who worships the sun, moon and stars? Nobody we know. Next verse.

You can plod right through all the doom of Jeremiah and close the book with a deep sigh. Dumb Judah…shot themselves in the foot. They had it all and threw it away. But we need to slow down and take a second look to see if we are in Jeremiah…because we are scattered throughout this book.

Basically, God wasn’t enough. So to cover all their bases, to be sure every angle was explored, they included the sun, moon and stars….because their neighbors did. And who knows, they might be right.

You’ve been reading information about an orphanage in Africa, a hospital being built in Brazil. You’ve been researching buying a house, debating a job change. You pray. Often. One day God says, “Give them $10,000,” or “Buy the house,” or “Move to New York and take the job.” Clear as a bell.

Ooooooo. Way past my comfort zone.

“The Lord is my Shepherd; I have all I need.” Kind of.

So I call my mom. “What do you think?” She gives me her opinion…. I take notes.

Call my best friend. “What do you think?” She gives me her opinion…I take notes.

I may even go see my pastor. “What do you think?” He gives me his opinion…I take notes.

I look at my spreadsheet.

In God’s words via Jeremiah, I love them all, serve them, follow, consult and think very highly of their opinions. Sounds like the sun, moon and stars to me.

But God didn’t give me His opinion. He gave me instruction just as clear as go three blocks, turn right, two blocks, turn left, fifth house on the right.

Mmmmmm, ahhhh, welllll???

I heard a guy awhile back, who was living at the time in a country in Eastern Europe. He woke up one morning and knew God was telling him to take a train to a particular city and meet with a guy there. He did not give him the name or description of the guy. Just told him to go. He went. There was the guy…standing tall and he knew it was him. He lost me at that point…I was astounded. In the first place, I would never be in Eastern Europe and in the second place, I would never take a train to some random city and get off fully expecting some random guy to pop up and say, “I’m your guy! Tell me about Jesus!”

But isn’t that what Abram did? No family history of God worship. No Bible…no nothing. God just shows up one day and tells him to pack up, leave his family and go to a land He’d show him. And he did. And God did.

And here we are, practically conceived in church, have attended so many Bible classes we should be able to quote the entire book, own probably ten in at least that many translations with commentaries to match, have a personal history with God and we consider, deliberate, agonize, consult with mere mortals like ourselves, over what He, the eternal, sovereign God who created the entire universe, tells us to do.

I think we have a ton of practice asking the sun, moon and stars and not just a whole lot of practice sticking with … just God. Oh, we ask God and as long as He answers in a way we can understand, fits our spreadsheet, falls within the parameters of our comfort zones, we’re good to go. If not, then instead of moving forward, we begin consultation with others just in case.

Every morning first thing out of bed, it’s become my practice to kneel and pray. I want Him to be the first one I speak to. So a couple of mornings ago, I got out of bed, hit my knees, “Thank you Jesus….” He interrupted me and said, “Put the book up.”

Before I go to sleep at night I like to read something mindless. My favorite author transports me to Britain or Scotland and I can just SEE it and it’s so peaceful. Nobody takes their clothes off, talks nasty or blows anybody’s brains out. This should pass anyone’s inspection. I drift off to sleep.

But I knew it was God. And this was nothing…impacted no one…no big deal. But those were His words. We always think punitive, what’s wrong, instead of what am I missing out on by reading this book instead of one He has for me? I closed the book and put it up.

I don’t think it has to be big stuff. I think a history of small stuff leads up to big stuff and if you’re used to listening, knowing His voice and just doing whatever He says, then doing the big stuff is just a given. Might take you a little time…no rush…but you know you’re going to do it because the Lord God Almighty spoke to you personally and for whatever reason…it doesn’t matter…He knows…He told you to do it, so you do it. He can work out all the details, give you His reasoning or choose not to.

I used to ask how for sure I’d know it was Him. I haven’t asked that in awhile. I know. You do too … whether it’s about $10,000, Eastern Europe or a book.

So….who are your sun, moon and stars? Maybe the question should be … how big, how smart, how wise… is your God?