Does It Matter?

When the Babylonian army left Jerusalem because of Pharaoh’s approaching army, Jeremiah started to leave the city on his way to the territory of Benjamin, to claim his share of the property among his relatives there. But as he was walking through the Benjamin Gate, a sentry arrested him and said, “You are defecting to the Babylonians!” The sentry making the arrest was Irijah son of Shelemiah, grandson of Hananiah. [Jeremiah 37.11-13]

Could Jeremiah's arrest have been prevented?

Does it matter?

As I write this, I cannot help but consider the decisions I have made in my life that had certain outcomes directly related to them.

Life is nothing if it is not a series of decisions that we make accompanied by the respective outcome of those decisions.

In the case of Jeremiah, we have no indication that his decision in the passage above was of any ill intent whatsoever - he was just going to check on some land. However, the outcome would change his life in a most severe manner.

So, what's the point? In the first place, the point is that we don't really know if there even is a point. That said, there could also be an argument made that had Jeremiah considered what his action of going to see about some land might look like to others, he might have reconsidered his actions.

Of course, every decision we make is intimately related in some way to other circumstances around us. Sometimes not, right? But sometimes so - and emphatically so! It certainly was in the case of Jeremiah!

While it is entirely possible that we can in no way know the consequence of every decision, there remains the possibility that a little forethought might prevent disaster. However, there is an even more important consideration - the leading of the Holy Spirit! The more in-tune we are with God's Spirit, the more we could avoid undesirable outcomes relative to our decisions.

So, while God indeed gave us a brain capable of thought, that thought is limited, at best. But God's Spirit is unlimited in knowledge and vision. Is it not plausible that we should rely on the gift of His Holy Spirit for every decision we make?

How might our lives look if we increased our attempt to follow the leading of the Spirit - even in our most mundane decisions? It is a practice few follow, but as in Jeremiah's case where political and social unrest were peaking, does it not seem reasonable in our current world's political and social unrest to pay extra attention? I think so.

Father, forgive me for being dull and vulnerable in making decisions without the leading or confirmation of Your Spirit. Help me to make Your Holy Spirit my first consideration in any decision I make!