Daily Devotional For Monday, August 24, 2026
Good morning Southside! Hope and pray your weekend was restful and relaxing. I want to thank the Lord for the needed rain He has sent us this weekend. Our daily devotional for today comes from Jeremiah 32:16-20:
“O Sovereign LORD! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! (18) You show unfailing love to thousands, but you also bring the consequences of one generation’s sin upon the next. You are the great and powerful God, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies. (19) You have all wisdom and do great and mighty miracles. You see the conduct of all people, and you give them what they deserve. (20) You performed miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt—things still remembered to this day! And you have continued to do great miracles in Israel and all around the world. You have made your name famous to this day” (NLT).
This passage sits within a larger passage that is Jeremiah 32:16-25. This whole passage reads like a page from Jeremiah’s prayer journal. Jeremiah for 40 years has preached and prophesied that destruction was coming to Israel and Judah, especially to the city of Jerusalem. When the people of Judah came after him for this, the first thing that Jeremiah did was cry out to the Lord. His repeated prayers remind us of the Apostle Paul’s words in Romans 8:26-27.
The second thing Jeremiah did was take his mind and focus on God’s mighty acts. We see this in Jeremiah 32:18b-19a. Right here we have the Christian doctrine of Creationism in opposition to human naturalism. Naturalism is the belief that the only thing real in the world is nature. Naturalist George Gaylor Simpson puts it this way: “Man is the result of a purposeless and natural process that did not have him in mind” (Source: In Phillip E. Johnson, Reason in the Balance: The Case Against Naturalism in Science, Law and Education, pp. 12–13). Simpson’s point is that the existence of human beings is an accident, the product of sheer chance.
If naturalism is right, then God is nothing more than a figment of our own creation and imagination. Thus, God does not actually exist and is a creation of the human mind, according to naturalism. Naturalism denies God His rightful place in the universe, thus denying God worship, since He did not create it. When we praise God as Creator, we are reminding ourselves that we are created in God’s image, not the other way around.
Third, Jeremiah worshipped God as Redeemer. He cites how God redeemed the Hebrews out of Egypt. He praises God for His omnipotence and omniscience – “Nothing is too hard for You” (vs. 17). Whatever the task, God is up to it. In verse 18, Jeremiah worshiped God for His covenant love – “You show unfailing love to thousands . . .” If you take your time and read this prayer, it is rich in praising God for His attributes. Though Jeremiah’s prayer may sound like a complaint at first, it is really a prayer of compliance to God’s will.
Reflection Assignment: Do you ever find yourself mad at God when bad things happen to you? Do you complain or do you pray like Job, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21)? Look at your life. What pain or suffering or disappointment is God using to get your attention? What will you do now?
Scripture To Meditate On: Luke 22:42, “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, help me to see when You are using something painful, hurtful or disappointing or even suffering to get my attention. I am so sorry that I can be that stubborn. I want a soft heart for you, not a hardened one. I will praise You no matter what the storm is. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly