FWD: Morning Manna Aug. 17-BP: Jer. 11; RBTTY: Rom. 16; Ps. 97-99

 
Samuel D. High
sdhigh@aristotle.net

 

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-----Original Message-----
From: "Smith, Lynn " <lsmith20@Central.UH.EDU>
Sent: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 07:48:42 -0500
To: "Smith, Lynn " <lsmith20@Central.UH.EDU>
Subject: Morning Manna Aug. 17-BP: Jer. 11; RBTTY: Rom. 16; Ps. 97-99
 

August 17                                                                                             “So Be It, O Lord”

 

                        “. . .Then answered I and said, ‘So be it, O Lord’.”

                                                                                                                  Jeremiah 11:5b

     It’s the essence of willing, absolute surrender.

     “Let it be, Lord.”

     Back in the early 1960’s a young musical group named “The Beatles” arrived in America and took the nation by storm.  Even today, their music is listened to by every generation and their remaining band members still perform in concert and give interviews to the news media.

 

     One of their favorite songs was entitled “Let It Be” and was recorded in January, 1969, but was shelved because group members didn’t like the album.  The album was re-released in 1970 by Phil Spector and became an immediate success.

 

     Throughout the song’s lyrics, the phrase “Let it be, let it be” are heard as they’re joined to varying situations one finds himself/herself in:  “In times of trouble. . .my dark hour. . .when broken-hearted people living in the world agree. . .when the night is cloudy, etc., let it be, let it be.”

 

     Although it’s somewhat puzzling as to what the song’s trying to say, closer examination finds it saying “In the midst of your difficulties, there will be an answer or someone will come to you or something will happen to give you renewed hope—so ‘Let it be, let it be’.”

 

     Thankfully, Jeremiah’s answer to the Lord God in today’s Manna is more than a passive resignation to one’s circumstances or a “Que sere, sere” (“whatever will be, will be”) response.  Instead, like Jesus’ prayer of surrender in the Garden of Gethsemane, it’s a “positive relinquishment” of one’s “rights,” purpose, hurts, etc., into the safekeeping of the One Whose eye is upon the sparrow (Mt. 6:26; 10:29-31; Lk. 22:42; 23:46.  II Tim.1:12).

 

     Even though this prophet to the northern kingdom of Judah preached for over 40 years without a single change in his listeners’ hearts. . .and even though he felt so inadequate when the Lord called him (1:5-6). . .and even though there came the time when he was ready to quit rather than stand and preach . . “God’s Word was in his heart as a burning fire shut up in his bones and he was weary of forbearing and could not stay” (20:9).

 

     So, instead of “giving up,” he “looked up” and allowed the Lord to renew him in every way.  When he signed the blank sheet of paper of surrender, allowing the Lord to fill in the blanks as He saw fit, Jeremiah expressed that commitment by saying, “So be it, O Lord, so be it”. . .which was like saying “Amen” back to the Lord when He whispered His Word and Will to him.

     Dear Pilgrim, are you struggling in a particular area right now?  Is there an area of your life that’s “off-limits” to the Heavenly Father?  If so, say with Mary, “Be it unto me according to Your Word” (Lk. 1:38) and then “loose Jesus and let Him go” (Jn.11:44).

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

Mr. Lynn M. Smith

Department Business Administrator

Department of Economics

University of Houston

204C McElhinney Hall

Houston, TX 77204-5019

(713) 743-3802 (office)

(713) 743-3798 (fax)

LSmith20@central.uh.edu (email)

http://www.class.uh.edu/econ/ (department website)