Good morning, and a blessed Thursday to you.

I want to start off with a little pop quiz? Are you ready? What is the longest book in the Bible—the book with the most words? If you said Jeremiah, you are correct. The book of Jeremiah contains more words than any other book of the Bible.

Please open with me to the prophet Jeremiah, chapter 31, verse 20.

Jeremiah is often called the weeping prophet. What broke the heart of God also broke the heart of Jeremiah. In the first 29 chapters, Jeremiah speaks about Israel’s sinfulness. Then, in chapters 34–52, he speaks of God’s judgment on Israel for their sin.

But chapters 30–33 are often called the Book of Consolation. And if there were one verse that captures the heart of that consolation, it might very well be Jeremiah 31:20:

“Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he the child I delight in? As often as I speak against him, I still remember him. Therefore, I am deeply moved for him; I will surely have mercy on him,” declares the Lord.

Ephraim was one of the twelve tribes of Israel, but it also became a name for all of Israel. And notice—despite all that Israel had done, God still loved His people. “Is Ephraim my dear son? Is he the child I delight in?” That is a yearning love.

We all understand yearning, don’t we? It’s the yearning for good news when a doctor walks in with test results. It’s the yearning for resolution when there is conflict, the yearning for change in a loved one, or the yearning for peace where there has been struggle. That same kind of deep yearning is how God loves us. It’s a love beyond our comprehension—a yearning love for you and me.

Paul writes in Romans 5:6, “Christ died for the ungodly.” In other words, when Jesus went to the cross to pay for sin, He died for the ungodly. And to make sure we understand that includes us—that we can’t say, “He died for them, but not for me”—Paul adds in verse 8: “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us.”

We are by nature sinful and unclean, yet Jesus bore all our sin on the cross, paying a debt we could never pay and winning for us forgiveness. In verse 10 Paul continues: “While we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son.” That is the yearning love of God—sending His Son Jesus to die and rise for us.

I think of that wonderful hymn, Before the Throne of God Above. It beautifully expresses God’s yearning love:

Before the throne of God above,
I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands,
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

What a powerful reminder of God’s yearning love for us—His yearning love for you.

Let’s pray.
Gracious Heavenly Father, we thank You for this time in Your Word, for Your Word is truth. We thank You for Your yearning love, shown most clearly in the sending of Jesus to die and rise for us. Lord, send us out today to proclaim that same yearning love to the world. In the strong and holy name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

May God bless you today. Encourage someone.

Pastor Eibel