Great and Mighty Things

Jeremiah 33:1-3 reads: Moreover the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the prison, saying, "Thus says the LORD who made it, the LORD who formed it to establish it (the LORD is His name): 'Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.'"

The time reference given in verse 1, "while he was still shut up in the court of the prison," indicates that this "second time" (v. 1) "the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah" (v. 1) follows directly on the heels of the message the Lord gave him in chapter 32 about the fields being purchased and the restoration of fortunes to the people in the villages surrounding Jerusalem. Still being under guard in the "prison" (v. 1) or "the courtyard of the guard" (NIV), the kings officers or elders could easily consult with him.

What this tells us is that the word of God was not bound. When Paul was in prison for his faith, he said, "for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God's word is not chained" (2 Tim. 2:9). "God's word is not chained!" God's word is never bound! To affirm this truth, the Lord affixes His eternal name to the words He is about to speak: "This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it—the LORD is his name" (Jer. 33:2, NIV).

The Lord then invites Jeremiah to test Him. He calls on Jeremiah to ask Him for remarkable things beyond any knowledge Jeremiah has or any understanding: "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (v. 3).

That is what the Lord asks of us. And that is the promise He gives us. Do not be afraid to ask for things beyond your knowledge and understanding. The Lord wants to show you unsearchable things, just as He did Jeremiah. The problem is, we don't ask. Jesus said, "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7). Ask of the Lord and He "will show you great and mighty things, which you do not know" (Jer. 33:3). Amen.