OUR FATHER WHO HAS A PURPOSE FOR EACH OF US TO FULFILL.

Jeremiah chapter 13 verse 4, a record of the Lord's words to the prophet Jeremiah,  says this;

“Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks.”

This passage captures the instruction that the Lord gave Jeremiah of what to do with the new linen belt that the Lord had told him to buy.  

Jeremiah was instructed to take the belt and hide it in a crevice in a rock.  

Many days later, the Lord told Jeremiah to go back and retrieve the belt and when he dug it up, it was badly damaged. Verse 7 puts it this way;

So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.

The Lord spoke to Jeremiah to explain the meaning of the object lesson.

The belt around Jeremiah's waist represented the people of Israel and Judah who were supposed to be wrapped around the Lord's waist so that they were close to Him as His honored people. Jeremiah chapter 13 verse 10 says it this way;

For as a belt is bound around the waist, so I bound all the people of Israel and all the people of Judah to me,’ declares the Lord, ‘to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.’

Instead, the people rebelled and refused to listen to the voice of the Lord and stubbornly pursued other gods and thus the Lord declared them as useless as Jeremiah's ruined belt.

Let us strive to stay near to the Lord; always listening for His voice to do as He instructs so that we can be useful servants in His kingdom and He can, as He said in Mathew chapter 25 verse 21, say to us 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!

Amen.