A Righteous Branch Will Spring Forth .
Jeremiah 33:14-16

Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring forth for David; and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: "The Lord is our righteousness."

Behold! That word announces that what is to follow is important and noteworthy. It means, “pay attention,” to what’s coming next. This scripture seems to be more appropriately shared during Lent but I find tremendous comfort in reading these verses now. Behold, the days are coming!

In this election season, similar phrases have been used by both presidential and vice presidential candidates as well as pundits, supporters and advocates for the candidates. Whether or not we trust or believe their promises is another story. I have some real concerns about our choices in this election, but when I read these words, I find I am less anxious about the future.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) righteous: acting in an upright, moral way; virtuous; Slang. absolutely genuine or wonderful. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary Note: Righteousness, as used in Scripture and theology, in which it chiefly occurs, is nearly equivalent to holiness, comprehending holy principles and affections of heart, and conformity of life to the divine law.

I remember as I read Jeremiah that he, too, lived in a time of great turmoil and unrest. He too, struggled with the world as it was and longed for the world as God promised it would become. Just as Jeremiah sought a God who was genuine, wonderful, holy and upright, the greatest desire of our hearts is to be reassured by Jeremiah’s righteous Lord. We are called, as was he, to declare Christ to world.

Our advantage is that the long promised Christ has already come into the world. He has already accomplished God’s promise! We have received the gift of Jesus – our righteousness! So as we go out into the world we can be reassured and comforted that we are already saved from evil and hatred, divisiveness and deceit, greed and power-seeking. We do not need to rely upon the things of this world. We have a righteous and perfect ruler already.

Regardless of the outcome of this election, I will trust in God to guide and protect His world. I will continue to pray for our leaders and decision-makers as well. This world has strayed a long way from Eden. We have a great deal of work to do to restore it to its perfect state. Christ gave us the path, now we just need to get on it and get to work.

My prayer today is that you find comfort and satisfaction in the God who keeps his promises. And that you rely upon Jesus, the Lord who is our righteousness.

Mary  ¶ 6:23 AM