Read Jeremiah 33:1-3

“The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah a second time, while he was still shut up in the court of the guard:” Jeremiah 33:1

I’m not going to lie. I really dislike, with great passion, trials. I’m not talking about, I have a hangnail, or not being able to find a parking spot, but situations that feel like you go back two steps for every step you take forward! Do you know what I mean?

My problem is I’m looking at my trials the wrong way. James 1:2 says, “Count it ALL joy (some translations say PURE joy) when you meet trials of various kinds.” Your emotional status in a trial is all about perspective.

In Jeremiah 33:1 the prophet finds himself under guard; his freedoms completely restricted. Jeremiah wasn’t a violent criminal, he was a prophet of God. His crime was going through the streets of Judah prophesying that God was going to give them over to the Babylonians. The King of Judah, Zedekiah, felt that was bad for moral and put him in prison.

That’s when the LORD came to Jeremiah a second time. Don’t dismiss your trials as being for naught, you may miss out on experiencing God even in your darkest hour.

Your trials may seem irreparable, but your God is the one who made the earth and formed it. He took a world that was dark and void of life and made it teem with life. Every stream, river, valley, and ocean were brought into existence out of nothing.

If God can do that with a world that was void of life, what can He do in your trial? What situation are you facing today that is outside His ability to restore? None! Nothing is beyond God’s ability.

“³ Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3

This is a verse that needs to be highlighted in your Bible. This is a foundational verse for prayer. God says, “Call to me.” Prayer requires you to raise your voice and speak to Him. The word “call” in the Hebrew means to shout, to recite, to proclaim, to announce. This is an instruction to be passionate in prayer.

A silver lining in our trials is that it provokes us to seek God with more passion than we would without trails. God doesn’t want to be your last resort but your primary source. He won’t let your circumstances have the final word but will work them out for your good and His glory.

God promises that when we “call to Him,” he “will answer you.” There is a certainty in this verse. God cannot lie. If He says He will do something He will do it. So call to Him.

But God doesn’t stop at only answering you.

“and (I) will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”    (italics mine)

WOW! In our trials, when we call out to God, not only will He answer us, and this would be enough, right, but He goes further and says that He will tell you great and hidden things!

Some translators choose to translate the word “tell” as “show.” The Idea is that God has things that He will reveal to us when we call out to Him. Learn to be silent in prayer and listen for His still small voice!

Don’t hesitate to pray. Don’t allow circumstances to keep you from prayer but allow those moments to lead you into a deeper time with God. He will answer and will show/tell you hidden things!