Jeremiah was instructed by God to go and purchase a sash from the marketplace and begin to wear it wherever he went. Not very long after that he heard the Lord tell him to go to the great river Euphrates and take off the sash, fold it up and bury it in a hole in a rock by the river. He followed the word of the Lord and went there and buried it. After a considerable length of time the Lord spoke to him and instructed him saying, “Get up and go to the river Euphrates and dig up the sash.” He went immediately to the banks of the river but found the sash molded, decaying and moth eaten. When he went to put it around his waist, it literally fell apart in his hands. It was totally worthless for him to wear.

The Lord told Jeremiah, “In this manner I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem.’ He went on to say, “This evil people, who refuse to hear My words, who follow the dictates of their hearts, and walk after other gods to serve them and worship them, shall be just like this sash which is profitable for nothing. For as this sash clings to the waist of a man, so I have caused the whole house of Judah to cling to me, so that they may become my people, for renown, for praise, and for glory; but they would not hear.” Jeremiah 13:1-11

In this short passage we clearly see the heart of the Lord. He wants us to cling to Him like a sash around his waist. What is the purpose of a sash? A sash binds a man’s trousers around his waist, keeping his clothing securely fastened to him. The Lord wants us, like a beautiful sash, to be bound tightly to Him, completely dependent on Him for everything we need and desire.

We are rejecting His influence and power for our life when we stray away from Him, or become independent or distant in our relationship with Him, or even reject Him, defiantly going a different way or when we rely on “other gods” or other sources to provide solutions for our life. The Lord shows us through this word picture, that if we reject Him and turn to our own ways, we are just like a buried sash that will decay and become useless and “profitable for nothing.” The Lord say that He wants us to cling to Him, so “that they may become My people, for renown, for praise, and for glory.”

The Lord wants us to be His people, His very own. He is jealous for us and longs for our total loyalty and devotion. He wants an exclusive relationship with us, like a husband and a wife, with no “other woman” in our life. He must be our “one and only” our “all in all.”

The Lord wants to be our Lord “for renown.” What is the meaning of renown? Renown means to have a “widespread and high repute.” Other synonyms are to have high acclaim, preeminence, notoriety, illustriousness and great distinction.

 God wants to be known in this world as the supreme God Who is all powerful, all knowing and infinite in every area. He wants us to bring Him renown when others see Him work of impossible miracles in our lives. He wants our life to be a billboard of both His goodness and greatness.

God wants us to praise Him is all things. The Lord desires for us to be dependent upon Him for our deliverance in times of trouble. He wants our hearts to look to Him as a God who is capable of doing anything miraculous that needs to be done, that we will say, “Truly, with My God, nothing is impossible!”

And the Lord wants for everything to bring Him the glory. When He helps us, we give Him the glory. We say, “Thank you Lord. No one could have got me through that!” You are capable of doing anything and are capable of delivering me in all situations. You will forever be my God!”

When we encircle the waist of the Lord, He carries us with Him at all times. He is able to help us, to provide for us, to deliver us and to strengthen us to go through every storm of life and bring us safely to our final destination. Let us determine within ourselves not to detach ourselves from His waist to attempt to live this life on our own, but rather lock our arms securely around His waist and live intertwined with Him for all eternity.