For this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Houses, fields and vineyards will again be bought in this land.' - Jeremiah 32:15

Today's Scripture Reading (August 29, 2026): Jeremiah 32

Life happens in cycles. History seems to want to repeat itself. Life comes at us in waves, like the unrelenting pounding of the ocean during a bad storm. The waves of life bring change, whether we want it or not. Assuming things will always be the way they are now is an unwarranted expectation. Life doesn't work that way. If things are going well now, be assured that trouble is just around the corner. However, when trouble comes, it likely won't last long, although trouble tends to make time feel like it is standing still. Life works in ebbs and flows, and nothing it brings to us is permanent.

Jeremiah had been prophesying that Israel's trouble was about to increase. Because of the nation's sin, God was about to bring a purifying fire on the nation he had led out of captivity in Egypt. Once more, Israel would find itself in a strange land. However, this captivity wouldn't be any more permanent than the captivity they had suffered in the days of Moses at the hands of the Egyptians. As bad as it may seem to the people in this moment, there was a time that would come when once again a normal pace would be seen in Canaan. A day will come when land will be bought and sold as it always has been. Peace will be restored and once again experienced by all who would live in the land.

Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, makes sure the people understand everything that is about to happen. While things couldn't be changed and the prophecies had to come to pass, amid the prophet's tears there is also hope for the future. Jeremiah told the people to be aware of the life changes which were coming.

'Now' always looms large in our minds. Whether it is good or bad, we can't seem to see beyond the eternal now, but part of the biblical message concerns the future. One of the purposes of the Bible is to lift our eyes above the now and see what might be about to happen. If things are going well, prepare for when they will be bad; if things are bad, raise an expectation for the good that will eventually come. Don't get used to the story as it is because, if you do, you won't be able to survive when the story changes.

Wherever you are now, know that tomorrow is coming; and when it comes, be ready to embrace it. Because whatever that day brings is just another part of the cycle of this life.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 33