Dear Church Family, Do you really want to hear from God? Sometimes we face difficult circumstances and decisions and wish God would tell us exactly what we should do. That was the situation the people in Judah found themselves after the rest had been deported to Babylon. After King Zedekiah was murdered the people were tempted to flee to Egypt for safety, but wanted confirmation from the Lord, so they went to Jeremiah. Jeremiah 42:1-3 (ESV)
Then all the commanders of the forces, and Johanan the son of Kareah and Jezaniah the son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest, came near 2 and said to Jeremiah the prophet, “Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us— 3 that the Lord your God may show us the way we should go, and the thing that we should do.”
Listen to Jeremiah’s response and theirs: Jeremiah 42:4-6 (ESV)
Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God according to your request, and whatever the Lord answers you I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.” 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the Lord be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act according to all the word with which the Lord your God sends you to us. 6 Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the Lord our God to whom we are sending you, that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of the Lord our God.”
Jeremiah promises to be completely truthful concerning God’s answer and the people promise to obey the Lord no matter what He says. This sounds great, but the problem is they weren’t being honest. In the end, they simply wanted God to affirm their decision to flee to Egypt. After Jeremiah delivers God’s instructions not to flee, the people simply accuse Jeremiah of lying to them (43:2). They didn’t want to hear what God had to say. This is confirmed even more so in the next chapter after Jeremiah confronts the people concerning worshipping idols. Jeremiah 44:15-16 (ESV)
Then all the men who knew that their wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you.
In the end, the people didn’t want to hear from God even though they claimed to. They only wanted God to condone their actions. When He refused, they refused to obey Him. Do you really want to hear from God? In my life I’ve found that most of the time my problem isn’t knowing what God wants me to do, but submitting to what I know He wants me to do. There are certainly times when we need clarity on difficult answers, but we need to start with obedience on the matters we already know His answer. What matters in your life need clarity? What matters simply need obedience? What’s Happening at Gospel Life:Youth Group: Join us this Sunday, September 10th from 5-7 at the Bronleewes’ house as we continue our series through the Book of Joshua. We’ll have games, dinner, worship, and time in God’s Word. Youth Group Meals: Each week we have a meal as part of youth group. Laura Stewart is going to start coordinating the meals. If you would be willing to contributing in any way, please contact her at 208-573-0688 or herbogirlnsp@gmail.com. Men’s Breakfast: Men and boys of all ages are invited to the Gerdes’ house for breakfast on Saturday, September 16th at 8 am. You can email Michael at Seedcollector@live.com if you need directions or have any questions. Please sign up if you’re planning on attending, so we can plan accordingly:
https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/230e4a65cb434983abec2e3a9abc773b Elder Training: Our next elder training is scheduled for September 19th at 7 pm at the Bronleewes’ house: 173534 N Wingtip Way, Nampa, ID 83687. We’ll be studying through 1 Timothy 2. If you need a copy of the homework from last month, contact Pastor Dave. Life Groups: If you would like to grow in your relationship with the Lord and other believers, please consider joining a Life Group. We have groups for men, women, and youth. You can check them out here:
https://gospellifebiblechurch.churchcenter.com/groups/small-groups?enrollment=open_signup%2Crequest_to_join&filter=enrollment Request Prayer: It’s important for us to be praying for each other as a church! If you ever need prayer, we would love to come alongside you. You can always turn in a prayer request on Sundays using the Connection Card, but you can also submit a prayer request online at any time:
https://gospellifebiblechurch.churchcenter.com/people/forms/368653 This Coming Sunday:
Resurrection Hope – Our hope doesn’t rest in a dead person, but a resurrected Lord and Savior. This Sunday we’ll look at Mark 15:42-16:8 and see the significance of Jesus’ burial and resurrection. Watch Previous Worship Services
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLW5IMNeRoI99I-QNoGMnuWDy6Y5svTt_c | 
