#167. When Your Expectations Don't Match God's Plan | Jeremiah 41–46 for Christian Moms
The Dwelling Place Bible Podcast for Busy Moms | Entrusted Ministries
What happens when following God doesn't lead to the life you expected?
In today's chronological Bible reading, Stephanie Hickox walks through Jeremiah 41–46 and explores a difficult but deeply encouraging question: What should our expectations be when life is hard, our prayers aren't answered the way we hoped, and faithfulness costs us more than we anticipated?
Jeremiah's story reminds us that God's presence is not a promise of an easy life. Sometimes obedience leads to sacrifice, disappointment, uncertainty, and suffering. But through it all, God Himself remains our hope.
And that truth has profound implications for Christian motherhood.
In This Episode
Stephanie explores:
- Why Judah's remnant appeared to sincerely seek God's direction—but ultimately refused to obey it
- What Jeremiah 42 teaches us about seeking God's will with a surrendered heart
- The danger of asking God for direction when we've already decided what we want to do
- Why God's people chose earthly security in Egypt instead of trusting God's supernatural protection
- God's repeated warning: "Do not fear... for I am with you"
- How God sees the motivations and intentions of our hearts
- Why God's patience and persistence in calling His people to repentance reveal His character
- The shocking response of Judah's remnant when they continued worshiping the Queen of Heaven
- Why outward religious reform doesn't necessarily mean inward heart transformation
- Baruch's honest cry: "Woe is me!"
- What God teaches Baruch about unrealistic expectations and seeking "great things" for himself
- Why following Christ may be much harder than we expected
- How Jeremiah and Baruch demonstrate faithful endurance even when obedience doesn't result in comfort
- How these chapters challenge us to examine our own expectations for marriage, motherhood, family, home, and life
- Why our ultimate hope isn't a comfortable life—but the presence of God and the glory of Christ
Are We Really Willing to Obey God?
One of the most sobering moments in today's reading happens when the remnant approaches Jeremiah and promises:
"Whether it is good or bad, we will obey the voice of the LORD our God."
It sounds wonderful.
But when God gives them an answer they don't like, they reject it.
They had already decided they wanted to go to Egypt. They wanted safety on their own terms.
And that raises an important question for us:
Do we seek God's will because we're willing to obey—or because we're hoping God will approve what we've already decided?
As Christian moms, it's easy to do the same thing.
We can ask God for wisdom about our children, marriage, finances, education, technology, friendships, or family decisions while quietly hoping He will confirm the answer we've already chosen.
Jeremiah reminds us that true surrender means being willing to obey God even when His answer isn't the one we wanted.
When Motherhood Doesn't Look Like You Expected
Perhaps the most relatable portion of today's reading is Baruch's cry:
"Woe is me! For the LORD has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest."
Baruch had faithfully served Jeremiah for years. He had written God's words, endured opposition, and remained beside the prophet.
And yet eventually he reached a point where he wondered:
Is this really how my life is going to go?
Can you relate?
Maybe motherhood doesn't look like you expected.
Maybe your marriage doesn't look like you expected.
Maybe your children are struggling in ways you never anticipated.
Maybe the sacrifices you've made haven't produced the results you hoped for.
Maybe following Jesus has cost you more than you imagined.
God's answer to Baruch is striking: stop seeking great things for yourself.
That isn't a cruel rebuke. It's a loving correction of his expectations.
God doesn't promise Baruch an easy life.
He promises him life and His faithfulness in the midst of hardship.
Our Expectations vs. God's Glory
This is where Jeremiah becomes profoundly relevant to Christian parenting.
We can quietly build expectations around our children:
- My children will always make wise choices.
- If I parent faithfully, they will respond faithfully.
- My family will look a certain way.
- My marriage will become easier.
- My home will finally feel peaceful.
- If I sacrifice enough, life will eventually become comfortable.
But Scripture doesn't promise us those things.
Our calling isn't to create the life we imagined.
Our calling is to glorify Christ with the life He has actually given us.
That changes the way we approach motherhood.
Instead of asking, "How can I make my family turn out the way I want?" we can begin asking:
"Lord, how can I faithfully represent You in the circumstances You've entrusted to me?"
Run to God First
The remnant of Judah was terrified.
They wanted protection.
And God Himself told them:
"Do not fear... for I am with you to save you and to deliver you."
Yet they chose Egypt.
How often do we do something similar?
When our children are sick, do we pray first—or immediately reach for every other solution?
When we're overwhelmed, do we run to God's Word—or our phones?
When we're worried about our children, do we entrust them to the Lord—or try to control every outcome?
Earthly wisdom isn't inherently wrong. But Jeremiah challenges us to consider where we run first.
The God who says, "I am with you," is worthy of our first response.
What Does Faithfulness Look Like When Life Is Hard?
Jeremiah and Baruch didn't receive comfortable lives because they were faithful.
They received difficult assignments.
They experienced rejection, hardship, imprisonment, displacement, and grief.
And yet they kept going.
Their lives remind us that faithfulness is not measured by comfort.
Sometimes the most faithful thing you can do is simply keep obeying God today.
Keep praying.
Keep opening His Word.
Keep loving your children.
Keep disciplining with grace.
Keep speaking truth.
Keep surrendering your expectations.
Keep trusting that God's presence is enough.
Because our hope isn't ultimately found in getting the life we wanted.
Our hope is found in Jesus.
A Word of Encouragement for the Weary Mom
If you feel like you've been laying down your life more than you expected, this episode is for you.
If motherhood has required sacrifices you didn't anticipate, this episode is for you.
If you're disappointed by your circumstances, your children, your marriage, or even yourself, Jeremiah 41–46 offers a better expectation:
Christ is worthy of your whole life, and His presence is enough.
We may not understand everything God is doing.
We may not receive the circumstances we hoped for.
But we can pray, as Paul did, that our greatest hope and expectation would be that Christ is glorified in and through us.
And that is a beautiful legacy to leave our children.
Today's Chronological Bible Reading
Jeremiah 41–46
Key Scriptures
- Jeremiah 42:5–6 — Willingness to obey God's direction
- Jeremiah 42:10–12 — God's promise of protection and presence
- Jeremiah 42:19–22 — The warning against going to Egypt
- Jeremiah 44:4 — God's persistent call to repentance
- Jeremiah 45:2–5 — God's message to weary Baruch
- Matthew 16:25 — Losing our lives for Christ
- Philippians 1:20–21 — Christ glorified in our lives
A Prayer for Moms Who Are Disappointed
Stephanie closes by praying for moms who are struggling to surrender their expectations for their marriages, parenting, homes, appearances, and futures.
She prays that we would learn to run to God's strength first, surrender our own agendas, and desire above everything else that Jesus Christ would be glorified in and through our lives.
And she prays that our children would see that kind of surrendered faith in us and learn to treasure God's glory above the temporary pleasures of this world.
Listen to The Dwelling Place
The Dwelling Place Bible Podcast for Busy Moms from Entrusted Ministries is designed to help Christian moms read and understand God's Word through a chronological Bible reading plan while discovering biblical wisdom for everyday motherhood.
If you're trying to stay consistent in Bible reading while raising children, join Stephanie as she walks through Scripture and connects God's Word to the realities of Christian parenting, biblical motherhood, family life, and faithful discipleship.
You may not get the life you expected. But you can have the presence of the God who never leaves you.
Commentaries Most Consulted: Moody, MacArthur, Matthew Henry
Transcript
This is The Dwelling Place from Entrusted Ministries.
2
:I'm Stephanie Hickox, and as we near the
end of Jeremiah, focusing on chapters
3
:41 through 46, I kind of want to
summarize it by saying more bad stuff
4
:happens to more bad people, and more
bad stuff happens to good people, too.
5
:Yet even in the trials and tribulation,
the Lord kindly reminds us what our
6
:expectation and hope should be in
7
:When Zedekiah, the last king of Judah,
is carried off to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar
8
:puts Gedaliah in his place as governor.
9
:A man named Ishmael kills
Gedaliah and everyone with him.
10
:Though this Ishmael
11
:is over a thousand years removed from
Abraham's son Ishmael, he seems to
12
:be just as battle hungry as he was.
13
:Next, 80 men appear grieving
what has happened to Jerusalem.
14
:They're mourning and long to
bring offerings to the temple.
15
:Ishmael deceptively welcomes
them, feigning his own mourning,
16
:but he slaughters 70 of them,
putting them in a cistern.
17
:Ishmael's evil anarchy meets resistance,
but unfortunately when Johanan tries
18
:to take him down, Ishmael escapes.
19
:Johanan goes to Jeremiah, and as I
read our main scripture for today,
20
:I want you to try to discern,
21
:are they being sincere in
seeking the Lord or not?
22
:Thankfully, as we keep reading, the
Lord will make that clear for us
23
:All the people from the least to the
greatest came near and said to Jeremiah
24
:the prophet, " Let our plea for mercy
come before you, and pray to the Lord
25
:your God for us, for all this remnant,
because we are left with but a few,
26
:as your eyes see us, that the Lord
your God may show us the way we should
27
:go and the thing that we should do."
28
:Jeremiah the prophet said
to them, " I have heard you.
29
:Behold, I will pray to the Lord your God
according to your request, and whatever
30
:the Lord answers you, I will tell you.
31
:I will keep nothing back from you."
32
:Then they said to Jeremiah, " May
the Lord be a true and faithful
33
:witness against us if we do not act
according to all the word with which
34
:the Lord your God sends you to us.
35
:Whether it is good or bad, we will
obey the voice of the Lord our God
36
:to whom we are sending you, that
it may be well with us when we obey
37
:the voice of the Lord our God."
38
:At the end of ten days, the word
of the Lord came to Jeremiah.
39
:Then he summoned Johanan the son of
Kareah and all the commanders of the
40
:forces who were with him, and all the
people from the least to the greatest,
41
:and said to them, Thus says the Lord,
the God of Israel, to whom you sent me to
42
:present your plea for mercy before him.
43
:If you will remain in the land, then I
will build you up and not pull you down.
44
:I will plant you and not pluck
you up, for I relent of the
45
:disaster that I did to you.
46
:Do not fear the king of
Babylon, of whom you are afraid.
47
:Do not fear him, declares the
Lord, for I am with you to save you
48
:and to deliver you from his hand.
49
:I will grant you mercy, that he
may have mercy on you and let
50
:you remain in your own land.
51
:But if you say, 'We will not remain
in this land,' disobeying the voice of
52
:the Lord your God and saying, ' No, we
will go to the land of Egypt, where we
53
:shall not see war or hear the sound of
the trumpet or be hungry for bread, and
54
:we will dwell there,' then hear the
word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah.
55
:Thus says the Lord of Hosts, the God of
Israel: If you set your faces to enter
56
:Egypt and go to live there, then the sword
that you fear shall overtake you there in
57
:the land of Egypt, and the famine of which
you are afraid shall follow close after
58
:you to Egypt, and there you shall die.
59
:All the men who set their faces to go
to Egypt to live there, shall die by
60
:the sword, by famine, and by pestilence.
61
:They shall have no remnant
or survivor from the disaster
62
:that I will bring upon them.
63
:For thus says the Lord of Hosts, the
God of Israel: As my anger and my wrath
64
:were poured out on the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured
65
:out on you when you go to Egypt.
66
:You shall become an execration,
a horror, a curse, and a taunt.
67
:You shall see this place no more.
68
:The Lord has said to you, O remnant
of Judah, " Do not go to Egypt.
69
:Know for a certainty that I have
warned you this day, that you have
70
:gone astray at the cost of your lives.
71
:For you sent me to the Lord your God,
saying, Pray for us to the Lord our
72
:God, and whatever the Lord our God
says, declare to us and we will do it.
73
:And I have this day declared it
to you, but you have not obeyed
74
:the voice of the Lord your God in
anything that he sent me to tell you.
75
:Now therefore, know for a certainty
that you shall die by the sword,
76
:by famine, and by pestilence in the
place where you desire to go to live.
77
:When Jeremiah finished speaking to all
the people all these words of the Lord
78
:their God, with which the Lord their
God had sent him to them, Azariah the
79
:son of Hoshaiah and Johanan the son of
Kareah and all the insolent men said
80
:to Jeremiah, " You are telling a lie.
81
:The Lord our God did not send you to
say, 'Do not go to Egypt to live there.'
82
:But Baruch the son of Neriah has sent
you to us to deliver us into the hand
83
:of the Chaldeans, that they may kill
us or take us into exile in Babylon."
84
:So Johanan the son of Kareah and all
the commanders of the forces and all
85
:the people did not obey the voice of
the Lord to remain in the land of Judah.
86
:But Johanan the son of Kareah and all
the commanders of the forces took all the
87
:remnant of Judah who had returned to live
in the land of Judah from all the nations
88
:to which they had been driven, the men,
the women, the children, the princesses,
89
:and every person the captain of the guard,
had left with Gedaliah the son of Ahikam.
90
:son of Shaphan, also Jeremiah the
prophet, and Baruch the son of Neriah.
91
:And they came into the land of Egypt; for
they did not obey the voice of the LORD
92
:I know that that's a longer passage,
but I thought it was so shocking that
93
:initially they truly seemed to be sincere.
94
:Didn't you feel like, "Yay!
95
:Someone finally gets it.
96
:Someone's going to honor the Lord"?
97
:It's just my assumption, but perhaps
the Lord took 10 days to give word to
98
:Jeremiah so that the true intentions
and motivations of their heart would be
99
:revealed Even though every word that
God has declared has been fulfilled,
100
:they still want to rely on earthly power
instead of his supernatural strength.
101
:It's really easy to look down our
noses at it, but the last time
102
:your kiddo got sick, was your first
response to pray or to reach for
103
:a home remedy or call the doctor?
104
:That's just one simple example, but how
often do we look to earthly solutions
105
:instead of asking for help from a God
that so deeply wants to walk alongside us?
106
:And I'm so thankful that in this
situation, I did not have to judge
107
:the intentions of these people
108
:and that God could see right through it
109
:He knew exactly what they were doing,
and that's why I'm so in awe that in
110
:verse 11, God once again said, " Do
not fear him, for I am with you to save
111
:you and to deliver you from his hand."
112
:He offers his presence even though
he knows he will be rejected.
113
:the availability of
our Lord is astounding.
114
:May we never take it for granted
because there will be a limit,
115
:just as there was with these
people that chose to go to Egypt.
116
:Unfortunately, Jeremiah and Baruch
are taken there against their will
117
:We witness God's heart and his
investment in the people in 44:4.
118
:" Yet I persistently sent to you all my
servants the prophets saying, ' Oh, do
119
:not do this abomination that I hate!'"
120
:It has an exclamation point,
Which is rare when we have a
121
:quotation of the Lord's words.
122
:His persistence and vigilance
leaves the people with no excuse.
123
:They are guilty.
124
:They continue to rebel, and it's to these
Judeans that flee to Egypt that God says,
125
:" Your wives have been making offerings to
other gods, and you've just stood by."
126
:Instead of confronting their passive
leadership and committing to be faithful
127
:to the one true God, They double back
and say, " We're going to keep making
128
:offerings to the Queen of Heaven.
129
:It actually seems like things started to
go wrong when we started following you."
130
:What they're claiming is that once King
Josiah started all his reforms and the
131
:people started to follow God, that's
when things started to go bad for Judah
132
:So they decide to go back
to worshiping the other gods
133
:and see how it goes for them.
134
:at this point, it's been made clear to
us that Josiah's reforms were effective
135
:outwardly, but for many people,
it didn't penetrate their hearts.
136
:And that's why when we read 44,
verses 26 and 27, we recognize
137
:how justified the Lord is.
138
:" Therefore, hear the word of
the Lord, all you of Judah who
139
:dwell in the land of Egypt.
140
:' Behold, I have sworn by my great name,'
says the Lord, ' that my name shall
141
:no more be invoked by the mouth of any
man of Judah in all the land of Egypt.
142
:saying, "As the Lord God lives,
behold, I am watching over them
143
:for disaster, and not for good.
144
:All the men of Judah who are
in the land of Egypt shall be
145
:consumed by the sword and by famine
until there is an end of them
146
:God will not be mocked.
147
:And this God who earlier said through
Jeremiah that when we call to him,
148
:he will hear and answer us, he has
set a limit and a boundary to their
149
:manipulative and deceptive ways
150
:And once again, we can appreciate
that God sees to the heart
151
:because there are two men in Egypt
that did not choose to be there
152
:God continues to be
attentive to their cry.
153
:Chapter 45 is brief, but what we
witness in Jeremiah and Baruch is
154
:incredibly applicable for you and I
155
:If we look at the dating of this
section, it would actually have been
156
:chronologically placed in chapter
36, but perhaps Jeremiah included
157
:it here so that those being exiled
could relate to Baruch's despair
158
:The word that Jeremiah the prophet
spoke to Baruch, the son of Neriah,
159
:when he wrote these words in a book
at the dictation of Jeremiah, in
160
:the fourth year of Jehoiakim,
the son of Josiah, king of Judah:
161
:Thus says the Lord, the God
of Israel, to you, O Baruch.
162
:You said, "Woe is me!
163
:For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain.
164
:I am weary with my groaning,
and I find no rest."
165
:Thus shall you say to him, " Thus
says the Lord, ' Behold, what I have
166
:built I am breaking down, and what
I have planted I am plucking up.
167
:This is the whole land
168
:And do you seek great things for yourself?
169
:Seek them not.
170
:For behold, I am bringing disaster
upon all flesh, declares the Lord.
171
:But I will give you your life
as a prize of war in all the
172
:places to which you may go
173
:Time and time again, we've read the words
of Jeremiah and the grief he was enduring
174
:by faithfully delivering God's message
to a crooked and rebellious generation.
175
:There's a drawing created by artist
Gustave Doré that shows Baruch in a
176
:prison cave with Jeremiah, faithfully
inscribing all the words the Lord
177
:was giving him, even as Jeremiah was
despairingly crying out to the Lord.
178
:He has been a steadfast and
reliable companion for decades.
179
:But here we're shown a moment of
weakness as he questions, " God, is
180
:this really how my life is going to go?"
181
:Uh, don't leave me hanging here, but can
you relate to Baruch's woe is me feelings?
182
:Many days following Christ seems much
harder than I expected it to be when
183
:I was younger And that's why I need
to keep coming back to the Word of God
184
:because God corrects his perspective
Reminding him, "Your expectations are off.
185
:Stop seeking great things for yourself."
186
:He does promise to give him life,
but it doesn't really sound that
187
:Baruch and Jeremiah are living
comfortable, enjoyable lives
188
:I believe that they have incredible
blessings in heaven, but on this earth,
189
:their job was to make much of the Lord
and to not expect that it would equate to
190
:comfort or happiness for them It reminds
me of Jesus' words, " Whoever lays
191
:down his life for my sake will find it."
192
:and Paul's words in Philippians,
"My every hope and expectation
193
:is that Christ be glorified."
194
:If you're struggling because you
find yourself laying down your life
195
:more than you expected, I wanna
pray with you and for you that
196
:God would give you the strength to
endure joyfully in His presence.
197
:Heavenly Father, we are in awe
of the way You continue to offer
198
:Your presence and Your blessing to
people who repeatedly rejected You
199
:we long to be exceedingly different
to be marked by the quickness of the
200
:way that we turn to you May we run
to your strength First and foremost,
201
:rather than worldly wisdom, we pray
our expectations would be pure and
202
:righteous before you, that our every
hope and expectation would be that Jesus
203
:Christ is glorified in and through us.
204
:Often, we struggle to lay down our hopes
for our own lives, our marriages, our
205
:parenting, our homes, our appearances.
206
:We face disappointment and despair on
this earth, but we thank you once again
207
:that you dwell with us through it all.
208
:And Lord, we praise you that your presence
is truly all that can satisfy us as you
209
:purify our desires and our motivations
we ask that our example would be
210
:contagious to our families May our kids
learn from a young age to throw off the
211
:temptations and pleasures of this world.
212
:May you give them a maturity and
understanding that your glory is our
213
:greatest and most delightful aim.
214
:Thank you, Jesus, that you
offer us yourself here and now,
215
:and also the hope of heaven
216
:It's in your name we pray.
217
:Amen.
