Jeremiah 46:28  Fear thou not, O Jacob my servant, saith the LORD; for I am with thee; for I will make a full end of all the nations whither I have driven thee: but I will not make a full end of thee, but correct thee in measure; yet will I not leave thee wholly unpunished.  (KJV)

God is a Father.  It is quite plain here!  Protective, able to deal with our enemies, but also holds us accountable for our own misdeeds.  Fair?  YES!  Merciful?  WITHOUT A DOUBT!  Just?  Absolutely.  Forgiving?  You better know it!  Discerning?  Loving?  Comforting?  Strong?  Wise?  

Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  Yes. and YES!!!!

I am blessed.  I learned this lesson as a child growing up.  My Daddy was like this.  Holding me accountable, encouraging me to be all I could be, cheering on my success, disappointed by my failures (though he knew they would come).  It was the look of disappointment I dreaded most.  To hear “well done” was the BEST!   So, when I think of giving an account, seeing the look of disappointment from my heavenly Father’s face is what I would dread most.

Coming to the realization I will NEVER see it is joy unspeakable.  I will not see it not because I don’t deserve it– I sooooo do deserve it; But because of Jesus behind whose cross I stand, all the Father will see is PAID IN FULL-NO DEBT OWED!  My feet will skip happy through the streets of gold.

This is what Jeremiah is trying to convey to the children of Israel who have failed to follow His commandments and are in the midst of some consequences.  The LORD is reminding them they are His chosen and He has made promises He will keep NO MATTER what they do or fail to do.  Their opponents on the other hand He will deal with completely.

As a twelve year old (under four feet tall and weighing about 80 pounds), I was walking the 15 or so blocks to town for my mom one day, and I was attacked.  I was run over by a angry bird on a bicycle who hit me upside the head, pulled my hair, and knocked me down.  I just kept getting up and walking toward a place I knew was safe so I could call home.  When my Daddy got home that night and found out what happened, he went looking for this angry child and I really feared for their life if he found them!  Because I was so scared and hot tears clouded my vision I could not describe this mean soul very well or even say what color the bicycle was.  They do not know how fortunate they were because my Daddy had every intention of “making a full end of them!”  But I too got a tongue lashing from my mom.  You see, she had told me to ride my bicycle to town and I decided I would rather walk!  Had I been on a bicycle it is debatable if the incident would have even occurred.  (Mamma tended to be very verbal when she was scared and I know now that she was probably frightened by the “what could have happened” scenarios).  I never saw this foe again.  I didn’t walk to town again either!

I experienced in this encounter what the LORD is conveying to His children.  The LORD was with me!  He protected this disobedient child.  He also corrected me so that in the future I would be more likely to listen to His direction.  Like my Mamma, He is not obligated to give me all the reasons He gives specific directions, but I can be sure there is a reason and a GOOD ONE!

I wish I knew what motivated this angry soul to attack me.  I wish I could make sense of all the rage being acted out in our world today taking lives of those who are just living their lives.  The reality is that we live in a fallen world and there will always be others who will harm those who have done nothing to them.  This Scripture is for all of us who love the LORD.  He will deal with our enemies and hold us accountable.  He will keep His promises.  He will take care of us.  He has the keys!  

The Warrior is a Child  by Twila Paris

Yvonne