Ginbot 5 — May 13

Jeremiah, One of the Great Prophets

Today we remember Jeremiah, one of the great prophets, a man God chose to carry His words to the people. His father, Hilkiah, was a priest who helped people worship God. God knew and loved Jeremiah even before he was born!

When Jeremiah grew up, God gave him an important job. The people of Israel had stopped listening to God and were doing unkind things. Jeremiah told them, with a loving heart, "Please turn back to God and say you are sorry, so that everything will be well with you." He warned them that if they kept forgetting God, hard times would come. Sadly, that is just what happened.

Jeremiah also shared happy news about the future. Long before Jesus was born, Jeremiah said that the Lord and Savior would come to help everyone. He spoke about Jesus and how the good news would spread to all the world. Even from so far away, Jeremiah could already see God's plan unfolding!

Sometimes people were unkind to Jeremiah because they did not want to hear the truth. But Jeremiah was not mean back to them. Instead, he prayed for them again and again, asking God to take care of them. He kept loving his people even when they were unfair to him. That is a very brave and kind thing to do.

When trouble came, Jeremiah went with some of the people all the way to the land of Egypt. There, by his prayers, God kept the people safe from wild beasts and lions that used to frighten them. After many years of serving God faithfully, Jeremiah grew old and died peacefully in the city of Alexandria. The people there loved him so much that they held a happy feast in his honor, and we still remember him with joy today!

Before you were born, I set you apart, and I have made you a prophet to speak to the nations.— Jeremiah 1:5

Take heed and turn back to God, so that all may be well with you.— Jeremiah's loving warning