In the year of Judah's King Zedekiah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon brought an army to Jerusalem and was about to besiege and to attack Jerusalem. The fate of the country came to be at stake as a light before the wind. Prophet Jeremiah desperately shouted that the Israelites must repent and forsake the idols, rebuking the king and the ministers. Jeremiah thought the destruction of the city of Jerusalem was at hand. At such an urgent time, Judah's King Zedekiah confined Jeremiah in the courtyard of the guard. The suffocation of Jeremiah was beyond description. At that time, the Word of the Lord came to him while he was still confined (Jer 33:2,3).


1. Yahweh formed it and established it.
    - Jeremiah was trying to save the country with all his strength. However, in the jail he
       was at a loss how to do it. At that time, God gave a wonderful revelation to Jeremiah,
       that the work is Yahweh's because Yahweh establishes it; what Jeremiah must do
       was that he must call to Him above all.
    1) The work is God's.
        - In Genesis, before creating Adam, God alone established all the work of creation.
           God's will for Adam was that he was to serve and trust God so that he may enjoy
           the world God established (Ge 1:31; Ne 9:6).
    2) Jesus also says in Mt 11:28; "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and
        I will give you rest."
        (1) Jesus established all the work of salvation for humanity on the Cross (Isa 53:4,5).         (2) Now we only need to serve the Lord, believing what He has done and enjoying it
            (Jn 10:10; 16:33; Ps 55:22).
    3) What God wants Jeremiah to realize (Ps 127:1,2).
        - is building the house and watching over the city is Yahweh's work, so what a
           person would like to do without Yahweh God is vain and in vain.

2. God's command.
    - is above all, to call to Him and ask.
    1) Things you do not know.
        (1) The work of God is not for us to understand but to believe (Heb 11:3).
        (2) Only with faith we must call to Him and pray (Mk 11:23).
    2) Great and unsearchable things.
        (1) In the era of the Old Testament:
            ① the miracle that the Red Sea was separated so the Israelites could pass
                through the sea (Ex 14:15,16).
            ② the miracle that the bitter water of Marah was sweetened (Ex 15:25).
            ③ the miracle that the Israelites passed through the desert (Ne 9:19-21).
        (2) In the era of the New Testament:
            ① the miracle that the water was changed into wine at a wedding feast in Cana
                (Jn 2:9-11).
            ② the miracle that five thousand were fed with five loaves and two fish, and
                twelve baskets remained (Mt 14:20,21; Jn 14:13; Heb 13:8).

3. What should we do?
    1) Like Jeremiah who was confined in the jail, we must acknowledge our impotence
        (2 Ch 20:12; Ps 40:1,2).
    2) Because the work is God's, call to God and pray (Ps 91:15,16).
    3) Do not try to understand how the cave of despair may be changed into the tunnel of
        despair, but believe unconditionally and obey
        (Heb 3:18,19; Jn 11:40; 1 Co 10:13; 2 Co 4:7-9).
    4) Expect God to surprise you with wonderful miracles all of a sudden
        (Mt 19:26; Lk 1:37).
        - Do not forsake dreams and hope (Ps 37:4,23,24; 107:30; Php 2:13).


In our journey of life, like Jeremiah, from time to time we are confined in the jail of a stuffy and heavy mind. Every direction may be blocking us like a wall, with no way out. At these times, we must not be discouraged, because the omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent God is with us. Therefore, we should pray (Jer 33:2,3). The solution is up to our prayers and to God's great and unsearchable things.