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READ: JEREMIAH 42:1\u201343:7; EPHESIANS 2:1-10\n\n\n\n\u201cRhode, tell us what to do. We will die here on the planet Yavorah! The Kuvil Regime took the rest of our people to their planet, and they won\u2019t let us live here peacefully. It\u2019s been years since Juro\u2019s old dynasty held us in slavery\u2014 maybe if we go back, their new rulers will help us.\u201d\n\n\n\nThe desperate shouts and worried exclamations filled their meeting space, a hollowed-out tree trunk aglow with jars of lightening bugs. Rhode closed his eyes for just a moment, resting in Yahweh\u2019s presence despite the contentious atmosphere. After generations of sin and idolatry, Yahweh\u2019s judgment had come to pass. Kuvil had conquered Rhode\u2019s people, the Yavorians. Now, only a remnant was left on their home planet under the Kuvil Regime. Their ships swarmed the sky, as numerous as the bugs, blocking the two Yavorian suns, slowly killing the planet\u2019s lush greenery. Soon, their livelihoods would be upended, and they\u2019d starve.\n\n\n\nBora, the Yavorian army captain, stepped closer and shook Rhode\u2019s shoulders. \u201cGo, ask Yahweh for mercy. Ask Him to show us the way, and we swear we will follow it\u2014 whether that means we stay here as captives of Kuvil or we return to Juro for refuge.\u201d\n\n\n\nRhode was appalled at the idea of returning to the very planet Yahweh had delivered them from. He wanted to be compassionate and hopeful, but he could only be suspicious of Bora\u2019s plea. Of course now they wanted to hear from Yahweh, after generations of ignoring Yahweh\u2019s commands. Were they merely desperate to avoid destruction, or were they sincere in their desire for repentance? \u201cI will pray,\u201d Rhode decided. \u201cWhatever Yahweh says, I will tell you.\u201d\n\n\n\nThe moment Rhode was alone, he collapsed with exhaustion. A few glimmers of light shown in the sky through the dense canopy. As Rhode stared up at them, he wondered if they were stars or impending spaceships. Sighing, he prayed, \u201cHelp me be faithful. Please, reveal Your will to me.\u201d For ten days, Rhode remained silent before Yahweh, until He spoke.\n\n\n\nRhode called the commanders together, but the cold and determined look on Captain Bora\u2019s face made him hesitate. Gathering himself, Rhode said, \u201cIf we remain on this planet, the one Yahweh promised to us, and trust in His protection, He will be gracious and we will prosper. We can trust that He will be merciful to us.\u201d\n\n\n\nEveryone was silent, but Bora\u2019s eyes were ablaze with anger. \u201cYou lie! Your words are treasonous! If we stay, Kuvil will destroy us all.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cBut Yahweh promises He will preserve a remnant of our people,\u201d Rhode said. The leaders began filing out of the tree, casting dirty glares and muttering \u201ctraitor\u201d in his direction. Rhode hollered after them, \u201cFleeing to Juro would just be another idolatrous response. Yahweh is giving us another opportunity to put our trust in Him!\u201d No one listened.\n\n\n\nBefore the suns had even set, Rhode was corralled onto a shuttle with a hoard of other Yavorians. They slipped through Kuvil\u2019s blockade with a cloaking device. Rhode pressed his face against the window and watched as the green planet\u2019s surface grew dim. Yavorah was a gift from Yahweh, a place for prosperity after slavery. And now, instead of leaning into His mercies, Rhode was taken with the rest of his people back to Juro. But Yavorah was his home, their home.\n\n\n\n\u201cI am with you, and I still give my mercy to my people,\u201d Yahweh said to Rhode as Yavorah faded from sight. \u201cOne day, I will bring you home. I am making all things new, and I will dwell with you forever.\u201d \u2022 Zoe Brickner\n\n\n\n\u2022 Today\u2019s story is an allegory of Jeremiah 42\u201343. Israel sought Egypt\u2019s help when Babylon attacked them, despite the fact that Egypt had enslaved them for over 400 years. Their choice to return to Egypt for refuge was an act of idola...