Jeremiah 7:23
But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.
What does it mean, it may be well with you? It does not mean that everything will be easy, but it will be well with you. It does not mean that you won’t have struggles, but it will be well with you. It does not mean you won’t have heartaches along the way, but it does mean that it may be well with you. In other words, it may be well with you is talking about the future more than the present. God did not say when it would be well with them, but He promised it would be well. In other words, being well with us will come at some point.
We are a people that want everything to happen right now, but God’s promise to be well with us is a result that comes through the prescribed action that God gives us to do. It may be well with us is not for those who don't do right, but for those who do right. God gives several prerequisites for it to be well with us.
First, the promise to be well with you is only for those who are walking. In other words, God’s promise to be well with you is not for those who do nothing for the LORD. You cannot claim God’s promise for everything to be well with you if you are not walking. Walking is a motion. Walking is moving. You are not promised that everything will be well with you if the only thing you do is come to church. Likewise, you are not promised that all will be well with you if you sit at home instead of being faithful to church. Walking is the prerequisite for it being well with you.
Second, the promise to be well with you only comes to those who walk in obedience. God says, walk ye in. What are we walking in? We are to walk in the commandments of God. You cannot expect everything to turn out well with you if you are not obeying God’s commandments. God’s commandments are not a list to keep us from enjoying life, but His prerequisites to keep us from that which would take away life’s enjoyment. God’s commandments are not grievous, but they are His recipe to protect us from sin’s grievous ways.
Third, the promise to be well with you only comes to those who walk in ALL the ways. You cannot pick and choose some of God’s commandments and think it will turn out well for you, but all of His commandments are there to make things go well with you. Picking and choosing which commandments you will obey is like picking and choosing which of a car manufacturers list of items you need to do to keep your car running efficiently. You can put fuel in your vehicle so it can start, but if you don't put oil in the engine, all the gas won’t matter when your engine is destroyed for lack of oil. Likewise, to do one part of God’s commandments and not all of them is to disobey them all. All of God’s commandments are necessary for it to be well with you.
Fourth, the promise to be well with you only comes to those who walk forward in all of God’s commandments. God said the mistake Judah made was that they walked backward and not forward. It was a mistake because God’s direction is a forward direction. To obey all of God’s commandments will take you forward by faith. You are only promised that it will be well with you IF you obey God’s commandments by going forward. My friend, it is your choice whether all turns out well for you by whether or not you choose to walk forward in all of God’s commandments.
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