vs. 5 Then they said to Jeremiah, “May the LORD be a true and faithful witness against us if we do not act in accordance with everything the LORD your God sends you to tell us. vs. 9 He said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel to whom you sent me to present your petition, says: If you stay in this land, I will build you up and not tear you down; I will plant you and not uproot you, for I am grieved over the disaster I have inflicted on you. vs. 14 and if you say, “No, we will go and live in Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the trumpet or be hungry for bread, …

There are some amazing promises here. Their entire nation has just been uprooted and taken captive, but God says to the remnant that He will build them up and plant them, not tear down and uproot them. They might hear the sounds of war around them or even go hungry sometimes, but they will be under the compassionate protection of God. Safe, safer, safest under God’s Mighty Hand of protection. This passage moved me to think of Christians living today in our nation, our world. The sounds of war are all around us, not only war between nations but the war against God, His biblical principles and His truth. It is exhausting, but God has planted us in this time of eternity for his purposes. Jesus is our Ark of Safety, sailing steadily toward our heavenly home.