We must surrender to the Lord!

King Zedekiah was afraid of the Jews

who had surrendered to the Babylonians.

He was concerned that if the Babylonians handed him over to them,

they would mock him. Upon learning this,

the prophet Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah:

'You will not be handed over to them.

Obey the Lord by doing what I tell you,

and it will go well with you; your life will be spared.

But if you refuse to surrender,

this is what the Lord has revealed to me will happen …'

(Jeremiah 38:19-21).

As I meditate on this passage,

I receive the lesson that the servant of the Lord

must first surrender to the Lord

and clearly convey the message to believers

that they too must surrender to the Lord.

Additionally, I learn that we must boldly

and lovingly communicate that if we obey God's word,

we will live, but if we refuse to obey,

the consequences of that disobedience

will occur just as God has said.