Hello there. This is Mary Demuth and this is Pray Every Day where I pray you through the Bible verse by verse really enjoying the book of Jeremiah, which is a weird thing to say because he is definitely prophesying some doom and gloom for the nation of Israel who has forsaken their God.

But there's always this hint. There's always this redemptive thread. There's always this wooing back. there's always this longing of God to say, I will be there, I am merciful, merciful,

I will chase after you, I love you, please return to me.

And so we're seeing just this heartbeat of God that is so beautiful.

So don't miss that subtext when Jeremiah is prophesying all these hard things underneath it is God's longing,

the brokenheartedness of God longing for his children to return.

All right, today I'm finishing up Jeremiah chapter 3 verses 15 through 25 in the World English Bible,

and this is what it says.

I will give you shepherds according to my heart who will feed you with

knowledge and understanding. It will come to pass when you are multiplied and increased in the

land in those days, says Yahweh, that they will no longer say the ark of Yahweh's covenant.

It will not come to mind. They won't remember it. They won't miss it. Nor will another be made.

At that time they will call Jerusalem Yahweh's throne and all the nations will be gathered to it to Yahweh's name to Jerusalem.

They will no longer walk after the stubbornness of their evil heart.

In those days, the house of Judah will walk

with the house of Israel, and they will come together out of the land of the north to the land that I gave

for an inheritance to your fathers. But I said, how I desire to put you among the children and give you a

pleasant land, a godly heritage of the

armies of the nations. And I said, you shall call me my father and shall not turn away from following me.

Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so you have dealt treacherously with me,

House of Israel, says Yahweh. A voice is heard on the bare

heights, the weeping and the petitions of the children of Israel because they have perverted their way.

...