The covenant with the Israelites began when Moses brought them out of slavery. God had a plan to solve every problem His people struggle with. As we look at our world, there are many problems, it is good to remind ourselves from time to time that God sees them all.

In my family all of us knew that God was moving us to France in 1983. And then again 30 years later, after our children had all grown and left home, my husband and I had several words from the Lord that we were to move to the west coast.

The Jewish people had been exiled in Babylon. They had returned with enthusiasm and each focused on their own homes and livelihoods. They had planted crops and prepared for the future, and more or less forgotten the God who had been instrumental in helping them return to their home land.

In this verse we see that the prophet must speak first to the leaders, then to all the people. The fact God says to speak to the remnant as He often does, is reminding them, and us, that there had been many deaths in all their wanderings in the desert.

God spoke regularly to His prophets throughout the Bible. And He is still doing that today. Although there was a time in history when people believed God had stopped speaking and we must just read what was written in our Bibles. How wrong could that be! God never stops speaking.

Do you remember when you were a baby Christian having your spirit stirred up by the Spirit? Maybe when you were learning to pray out loud or speak out in a meeting. Maybe when you were touched by a point in a message being given from the front of church.

It is good to be reminded that Holy Spirit is with us wherever we are, whatever we are doing. He knows our every thought, good, bad and in between! He is longing to help us through every difficulty, and show us the right direction in whatever we are facing today.

Jesus knew that His presence could be with each one of His followers in a spiritual sense forever. Sometimes it would be more real than others. But they were to stay awake and to look for Him everywhere, knowing that He was there, even if they could not see Him.

Many Christians today have had that experience. They have listened to a message, in church, and suddenly been struck by their guilt, realising why there was something wrong in their lives. Maybe not enough funds for their needs, maybe sickness or confusion about some serious decision, maybe a relationship problem.

We get the picture that The Almighty Lord does not do things by halves. It seems to me, that in these verses He is like a furious parent who decides to withdraw ALL privileges from a wayward child. Many of us have experienced that ourselves or with our own children.