God in the Past and Present 昔在今在的上帝
Dexu Xia
I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. Jeremiah 29:10
It had been years since we left the Oregon town where we raised our family. We’d made great memories there, and the recent visit reminded me of moments I’d forgotten: our girls’ soccer games, our old home, church gatherings, and our friends’ Mexican restaurant. The town had changed, but there was enough of the familiar to spark my desire to return for a visit.
When the Israelites went into exile in Babylon, they missed the familiarity of people, landmarks, and culture. They forgot they’d been exiled for rebelling against God. When false prophets told the exiles they’d return home within two years (Jeremiah 28:2-4; 29:8-9), they found a receptive audience. It was easy to listen to the slick words of false prophets who promised a return home soon.
God didn’t take kindly to these peddlers of the past and their false promises. “Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you,” He said (29:8). He had plans for His people, “plans to give [them] hope and a future” (v. 11). The situation was challenging, difficult, and new, but God was with them. “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart,” He told them (v. 13). God would bring them “back to the place from which I carried you into exile” (v. 14), but in His timing.
Nostalgia plays tricks on the mind, making it easy to long for what once was. Don’t miss what God is doing right now. He will fulfill His promises.
By: Matt Lucas
What difficulty are you facing today? How is God showing Himself faithful?
Father, may I continue to look for You in the present and not long for the past
我要眷顾你们，向你们成就我的恩言，使你们仍回此地。—耶利米书29章10节
想当年我在奥勒冈州小镇成家立业，而如今我们离开小镇多年。我们曾在那里留下美好的回忆，最近旧地重游让我想起许多已淡忘的事物，如女儿的足球比赛、我们的老家、教会的聚会和朋友的墨西哥餐厅。这个小镇虽有一些改变，但仍保持旧有熟悉的样貌，使我渴望再次回来造访。
当以色列人被掳到巴比伦时，他们怀念故土那熟悉的风土人情和文化，忘记自己是因背逆上帝而被掳到异国他乡。当假先知预言，被掳的人将在两年内回归故土（耶利米书28章2-4节，29章8-9节），许多百姓听了都信以为真。假先知许诺很快大家就会返回故乡，而人们很容易听信这样的花言巧语。
上帝不能容忍这些假先知和他们虚假的承诺。祂说：“不要被你们中间的先知和占卜的诱惑”（29章8节）。上帝为祂的子民制定了计划，要赐福给他们，使他们的未来充满盼望（11节）。虽然他们面对的情势艰险且前所未见，但上帝与他们同在，并对他们说：“你们寻求我，若专心寻求我，就必寻见”（13节）。上帝会将百姓带回祂使他们“被掳掠离开的地方”（14节），但却是按照祂所预定的时间。
怀旧的情绪会蛊惑人心，让人对过去的一切念念不忘。但千万不要错过上帝此时让你所经历的事，祂会按照祂的时间履行诺言。
今天你正面临什么困难？
上帝如何表明祂是信实的？
天父啊，愿我此时仍继续寻求祢，
而不是留恋过去。