Where is the Lord?

Jeremiah 2:6

“They did not ask, ‘Where is the Lord.’”

Have you ever started a project and got to the point where you realized you missed something? That sinking feeling when you finish rebuilding the engine and see a number of bolts still in your bucket that used to go somewhere on the engine? Or the time when you think you’re an electrician, finish your work, flip the switch, and have no power? That feeling! Something is missing, and you are sure of it but cannot put your finger on it. The next step in this pattern is taking things all apart and starting over.

Jeremiah was speaking to God’s people in chapter 2. The Lord starts out by telling them that He remembers the devotion of their youth and how they loved and followed the Lord through the wilderness. They even gave the first fruits to the Lord at harvest time and devoted themselves to Him. As we all know, the Israelites fell away from the Lord and followed idols. The Lord calls them “worthless.” Yes, worthless, as if to say they do no good at all in the lives of those who worship them. The Lord then asks them if they ever said, “Where is the Lord?” Where is He? Just like the project you have going on where you forget something important, “Where is the Lord?” In verse 11, the Lord tells His people that they have “exchanged their glorious God for worthless idols.”

What have you exchanged lately? Is it your time with the Lord for more sleep? Is it your godly friends for the old friends you seem to get into trouble with? Have you exchanged your calm demeanor for a reckless, angry one? Have you exchanged your commitment to church for an easy Sunday morning? How about your old habits the Lord has saved you from? Are those back in your daily routine? Today, do a checklist of your everyday life and ask the question, “Where is the Lord in this?” Ask the Lord to reveal areas that have been exchanged for idols of this world and areas where you have pushed the Lord out.

Verse 22 is the icing on the cake. It reads, “Although you wash yourself with soap and use an abundance of cleansing powder, the stain of your guilt is still before me.” The Lord God sent Jesus to this earth to die for our sins. He is the only way, the truth, and the life, and no one gets to the Father but through Him. No one! Jesus is the only way you can clean up the stains of your life. Stop trying to wash the world away with the world; that is like bathing in mud and expecting to get clean. Just stop! Jesus offers rivers of living water that wash us clean. Go bathe in the salvation of the Lord. Where is the Lord? He should be in your everything!

Prayer: Father, often we seem to forget You in the middle of our busy lives. We hustle around doing and going without a moment spent reading Your word or praying to You. We humbly repent of this mistake, Lord. We now put You in everything we do, say, and think starting today. I pray that we always ask ourselves, “Where is the Lord?” in every area of our lives. I make a commitment today to stay focused on You, Lord, every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.