To set the scene: the powerful nation of Babylon has invaded Judah, Jerusalem has recently fallen and most of the people have been carried off into exile.... exactly as Jeremiah and other prophets had been warning them for a very long time. Only a small remnant remains in the promised land and the Babylonians have appointed a man named Gedaliah to be the governor there.
In chapter 41 of Jeremiah, this man Gedaliah is murdered and, fearing retaliation from the Babylonians, some of Judah's military leaders want to flee to Egypt for safety.
But first they ask Jeremiah to seek God's guidance for them and, in chapter 42 vs 6, they declare that they will obey the Lord, no matter what. "Whether we like it or not, we will obey the Lord our God... for if we obey Him, everything will turn out well for us."
Jeremiah seeks God's will and gives the people the news that they are not to fear the King of Babylon, but are to stay in Judah and God will protect them there. He warns them not to flee to Egypt.
In chapter 43, despite having declared themselves willing to do anything God said, the people completely ignore the warning and go to Egypt anyway, taking Jeremiah with them. There, Jeremiah prophesies that war, famine and disaster will catch up with them.
It's easy to say that we will obey God unconditionally. It's quite another thing to be radically obedient when we don't like what we hear or when it makes us nervous or uncomfortable. But, as happened with the servant in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25), fearful disobedience will never bring a good conclusion for us.
When God asks to stay in a challenging work, school or church situation; when He asks us to persevere in a difficult relationship... or perhaps asks us not to continue in a toxic relationship; when He urges us to persevere in prayer rather than trying to take matters into our own hands... it can be hard at times to follow through with that and not to seek an easy way out.
In my own situation at the moment, it is incredibly hard to be here in Spain, homeless and in my sixth month of looking for a new place to live. It would have been much easier to leave and grab hold of one of the options offered to me in other countries.... But for now, I really sense that God is still asking me to stay here and to trust Him.
When we need to "hang in there" in a challenging situation, we can pray for ourselves what Paul prayed for the Colossians. (See Colossians 1: 11) - "We pray that you will be strengthened with all His glorious power so that you will have all the endurance and patience you need.... and may it spill over into joy."
