“Jeremiah, say to the people, ‘this is what the Lord says:” ‘When people fall down, don’t they get up again? When they discover they’re on the wrong road, don’t they turn back? Then why do these people stay on their self-destructive path? Why do the people of Jerusalem refuse to turn back? They cling tightly to their lies and will not turn around. I listen to their conversations and don’t hear a word of truth. Is anyone sorry for doing wrong? Does anyone say, “What a terrible thing I have done”? No! All are running down the path of sin as swiftly as a horse galloping into battle! Even the stork that flies across the sky knows the time of her migration, as do the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane. They all return at the proper time each year. But not my people! They do not know the Lord’s laws.” Jeremiah 8:4-7
Through His prophet, Jeremiah, the Lord expressed amazement that Judah would not return to Him. After all, when one falls, they rise again. When one turns away, they then return. Yet Judah was caught in a perpetual backsliding. Will they fall and not rise? Will one turn away and not return? If men fall, it is naturally expected that they will return. In the case of Jerusalem this had not been so, their backsliding had been perpetual. There was no sign of repentance. Men were determined to go their own way, as determined and as energetic as the horse is as it rushes into the battle. This is the same today.
Even the stork in the heavens knows her appointed times: It is an amazement that birds (the stork, the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow) all understand the seasons of the year and how they must respond to them. Yet the people of God were ignorant; My people do not know the judgment of the Lord. They were worse off than birds with small brains. We are not even as smart as a bird. God wants us to surrender to Him and let Him control our lives.
God expects our surrender. He is the fountain of life. He is the only way to peace and living the life that God has for us. The great thing about our surrendering to God is He does not ask us to have the strength for perfect surrender to Him. We can only surrender by the help of God’s power and His strength in our lives. When we allow God to be in control of our lives, He gives us all of the strength to walk with Him in this world. He gives us the power to be in the world, but not part of the world. Surrendering to God is a much smarter way to live.