What would you do if God asked you to invest in something everyone could see was about to fall apart? And somewhere along the way, did you stop expecting God to do anything new, and just quietly start surviving?
Jerusalem was under siege and Jeremiah was in prison when God told him to buy a field. In this episode, Marlena walks through that story and the promise of Jeremiah 29:11, which was first written to people in exile. She shares her own journey from a little girl who never worried, through loss, layoffs, and grief, to finding her way back to expectancy. Along the way, she draws on Jehoshaphat’s prayer of remembrance and on Susie Larson’s book, More Than You Can Imagine.
In this episode:
- Rest, nourishment, and time: a quick look back at restoration
- Why Jeremiah 29:11 was written to exiles facing seventy years, and why “more” isn’t prosperity teaching
- How a childlike faith wavers, and the difference between losing faith and losing expectancy
- Building a case for God’s goodness, the way Jehoshaphat did in 2 Chronicles 20
- Faith vs. trust, and expectation vs. expectancy
- Gratitude, renewing your mind, and replacing false identities
- Your calling is bigger than your gifts
- What grieved God then grieves Him now, and the God who judges is also the God who restores
- “Occupy till I come”: why we keep building and sowing until He returns
This week’s one step (pick the one with your name on it):
- If you’ve lost your expectancy: Write down five specific things God has already done for you, and read them out loud before bringing Him your current request.
- If you’ve been holding God to a deadline: Name the bullseye you drew, open your hands, and pray, “I don’t know how or when, but I trust You to break through.”
- If there’s a false identity you’ve been wearing: Write the sentence you keep saying about yourself, scratch through it, and write what God says next to it. Post it where you’ll see it every day.
- If God has been asking you to buy a field: Take one obedient step toward it this week. Not the whole thing. One step.
Ask yourself: where did I stop expecting?
Read along this week:
Jeremiah 32 (the full chapter) • Jeremiah 29:1–14 • 2 Chronicles 20:1–22 • Ephesians 3:20 • Luke 19:11–27 • Matthew 4:4 • Isaiah 30:15 • Romans 8:28 • Psalm 126 • Isaiah 61:3 • 1 Peter 5:10 • Romans 12:2 • Malachi 3:16 • Psalm 27:13
Jeremiah 32 (the full chapter) • Jeremiah 29:1–14 • 2 Chronicles 20:1–22 • Ephesians 3:20 • Luke 19:11–27 • Matthew 4:4 • Isaiah 30:15 • Romans 8:28 • Psalm 126 • Isaiah 61:3 • 1 Peter 5:10 • Romans 12:2 • Malachi 3:16 • Psalm 27:13
Resources mentioned:
- More Than You Can Imagine by Susie Larson: https://www.amazon.com/clp/0785294686?lv=shuf&channelId=500
Abiding Grace Planner:
A planner for noticing God’s nudges, remembering His faithfulness, and walking through your season with Him. It’s a great place to build your own case for God’s goodness and keep the field He’s asking you to tend in front of you.
https://livingsimplyredeemed.com/product/abiding-grace-planner/
A planner for noticing God’s nudges, remembering His faithfulness, and walking through your season with Him. It’s a great place to build your own case for God’s goodness and keep the field He’s asking you to tend in front of you.
https://livingsimplyredeemed.com/product/abiding-grace-planner/
Stay connected:
- Newsletter: https://living-simply-redeemed.ck.page/6803ad07bb
- Website: https://www.livingsimplyredeemed.com/
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@marlenajsmith
- Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/living-simply-redeemed-finding-joy-with-marlena/id6813686375
- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5cX3wsQyLbJej9I2wiNF0b
If this episode encouraged you, subscribe, share it with a friend who needs to expect again, and send me a DM to tell me what field God is asking you to buy.
Live simply, and live redeemed.