August 19, 2022
Daily Devotion:
"Coaxed and Caught by God..."
Jeremiah 39:17-18
New International Version
17 But I will rescue you on that day, declares the Lord; you will not be given into the hands of those you fear. 18 I will save you; you will not fall by the sword but will escape with your life, because you trust in me, declares the Lord.”
Nothing is sweeter than watching a young child's first hesitant jump into the open arms of a coaxing father. If perhaps we can no longer personally remember that palpable childhood fear, we can certainly appreciate it. Yet the unspoken message coming through tiny faces contorted by sheer terror is always a wistful, "I really want to do it!" So the father says reassuringly over and over, “Come on. I'll catch you!" As the father nudges closer to narrow the gap and bolster the child's confidence, the big moment finally comes. After hesitant false starts, all of a sudden there's take-off! The youngster takes that exhilarating leap of faith, squealing with delight. Faith is like that. Desire mixed with fear. Longing to be in the Father's arms, yet ever so hesitant.
What's wonderful about today's text is that these words of promise are being given to Ebed-Melech, the Cushite, after the fact. You may recall that Ebed-Melech had come to Jeremiah's rescue after Jeremiah had been lowered into a fetid, dank cistern where, without someone's intervention, he surely would have died. Despite the obvious risk involved in approaching the king on Jeremiah's behalf, Ebed-Melech did not think twice before “jumping." And why? Because, says the text, he trusted in the Lord. Apparently Ebed-Melech had jumped in faith so many times before that fear had given way permanently to trust. Whenever we come to a point in our own lives requiring a similar leap of faith, it is reassuring to know that we've jumped successfully before. Practice may not make perfect, but it does make permanent.
The question of trust is: Why am I still so hesitant to trust God after all the times he's already coaxed me and caught me?
