Words are powerful.
In the midst of chaos, the remnant goes to Jeremiah seeking a word from the Lord. They claim they are ready to obey whatever He says.
"So they said to Jeremiah, "Let the LORD be a true and faithful witness between us, if we do not do according to everything which the LORD your God sends us by you." Jeremiah 42:5
Notice their words: "the LORD your God." In the KJV, it reads, "the LORD thy God." In the very next verse they say, "the LORD our God." We shouldn't make too much of that wording alone, but what follows reveals something much deeper about their hearts.
They sound surrendered. They essentially promise, "Whatever God says, we'll do it." But when the Lord's answer comes and it isn't what they want to hear, their willingness to obey quickly disappears.
That's where words meet reality.
It's easy to say, "Lord, I'll follow You," when we don't yet know what obedience will require. The real test comes when His Word confronts our desires, challenges our plans, or leads us somewhere difficult.
Jesus isn't Lord only when His direction agrees with ours. If He is truly Lord, then our response is obedience, even when it's difficult.
Our words matter, but our lives reveal whether those words are true. The remnant said they would obey "whether it is pleasing or displeasing" (Jer. 42:6). Yet when the difficult word came, their actions revealed their hearts.
So the question for us is: Have we already decided to obey, or are we waiting to hear what God says before deciding?
Will we follow when obedience is costly, uncomfortable, or different from what we wanted?
If He is Lord, may our lives agree with our words.
-To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.