There shall be heard again the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the voices of those who sing as they bring sacrifices of thanksgiving into the house of the Lord, Give praise and thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good; for His mercy and kindness and steadfast love endure forever! For I will cause the captivity of the land to be reversed and return to be as it was at first, says the Lord.
Jeremiah 33:11
It’s hard to believe that Jeremiah received this beautiful, hopeful word from the Lord while in prison. The whole chapter talks about the restoration of Israel but as with much of the Old Testament, it is also about the restoration Christ would bring.
Hope had faded and God knew that in their hearts they saw nothing but desolation, destruction, loss. So many of us sit in the ruins of our lives, a financial failure, a sickness, a loss, a divorce, unfulfilled promises, and dreams. We see nothing but pain and the empty silence that comes from abandonment. God sees a place where He wants to reverse our captivity.
Listen to what God said to Jeremiah about our Daunters. “I’m going to put joy back in your voice and gladness will be on your lips. There will be new unions and new beginnings. You will have something to be thankful for again and you will want to praise Me for it. You are going to be able to sing of My mercy and My kindness and you will fully know My steadfast love for you and that it is never-ending. I’m going to reverse this captivity of your Daunter and restore you. Your heart will return to how it used to be before all this desolation entered your life.”
So give praise and thanks to the Lord of hosts, for the Lord is good. Can you sing a Hallelujah that God is rebuilding the desolation place in your heart?