Daily Devotions
Tuesday, August 12, 2025
Jeremiah 23:16-17, 21-23, 25, 28a – Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Do not listen to the words of the prophets who prophesy to you, filling you with vain hopes. They speak visions of their own minds, not from the mouth of the Lord. They say continually to those who despise the word of the Lord, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’ … I did not send the prophets, yet they ran; I did not speak to them, yet they prophesied. But if they had stood in My council, then they would have proclaimed My words to My people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds. Am I a God at hand, declares the Lord, and not a God far away? … I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in My Name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ … Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has My word speak My word faithfully. …”
Jeremiah is talking about a problem we still have today—maybe even more than they did in ancient Israel. Every newspaper, every website, is trying to tell us what the future holds. Politicians do this too. Some predict heaven on earth, others predict disaster—but they all have one thing in common. They predict the future based on human ideas, and they are usually doing it to influence you.
They want followers! They want readers, voters, true believers. That’s no surprise. But their selfish motivations leave us wondering how much of what they say is true. How I wish we had someone more trustworthy to ask!
And we do, don’t we? Because God Himself invites us to come to Him. He doesn’t need anything from us—not clicks, not votes, not subscriptions. What He wants is our welfare, and what He asks for is our trust. And He deserves it, for what influencer ever lay down his life to save those who trusted in him?
No, that kind of love is reserved for Jesus. Because He isn’t just some talking head on TV trying to get us to follow Him. No, He is God Himself come down from heaven to live among us as a human being, to work hard, to care for hurting people, to suffer, die, and rise from the dead—all in front of human witnesses. And why? Because He saw that we were in trouble, living in a broken world full of evil, slaves to sin and shame. And He came to set us free.
It cost Him everything. That’s what the cross was about. But now He offers us everything for free—forgiveness, peace, joy, real life, and a place in God’s own family. Now we don’t need to fear the future, because we know that the One who holds the future is the One who loves us more than anyone. He has proven it. And He will be with us to help us, no matter what comes, until the day He returns in glory to wind up human history.
WE PRAY: Lord, when I’m worried about the future, help me look to You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions:
- Who have you heard predicting the future lately? Does that leave you feeling worried or reassured?
- What future does Jesus promise to those who belong to Him?
- If you believe Him, how does that change the way you live now?
Today's Readings:
1 Chronicles 4-61 Corinthians 7:1-19