Jeremiah 33:3 meaning of I will show you great and mighty things

The Jeremiah 33:3 meaning is so much more exciting and powerful when you know the story behind it.  The declaration that “I will show you great and mighty things” is no ordinary one. If you find yourself in a difficult situation because of your own mistakes, Jeremiah 33:3 is just what you need to help you understand what’s happening and to point you towards what’s possible through God.

What does Jeremiah 33:3 say?

I like to read a number of different versions of a verse. It’s a good way of getting more understanding from a passage.

Read with me.

Jeremiah 33:3 KJV

Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Jeremiah 33:3 NKJV

Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know

Jeremiah 33:3 NIV

Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:3 ESV

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Jeremiah 33:3 meaning in context

The book of Jeremiah is about prophecy. Jeremiah was a prophet. God called him to be a prophet during a spiritually dark era in Judah. For the most part, God is the one speaking in Jeremiah 33 so keep that in mind as you read this post.

In chapter 32 of the book, Jeremiah is put in jail by the king of Judah. Jeremiah was disliked a great deal because his message was not cute or comfortable.

You see, the people were bent on sinning and having their own way. But God was getting ready to bring destruction to punish them. While Jeremiah preached this truth, other prophets preached the complete opposite. For this, Jeremiah was abused. Being put in jail by the authorities was one way they mistreated him.

Interestingly, at this point in chapter 32, the Babylonian army had started their attack. Although Jeremiah was put in jail, his prophecy was coming to reality right before the eyes of the king.

While in jail, God comes to Him more than once with instructions. God’s second appearance is what is recorded in Jeremiah 33. Verse 3 is the beginning of God’s revelations to Jeremiah about the future of Judah.

Now that we have a picture of what was happening, let’s now break down Jeremiah 33:3.

Meaning of “Call to me and I will answer you“

Remember, Jeremiah is in jail. The nation is in a frenzy because they can literally see the Babylonians trying to break into the city to lay siege against it. Judgment was literally at the door.

In this very difficult situation, God calls Jeremiah’s attention to Himself. God says “Hey, destruction is knocking at your door but I’m still here. Call on me. I’m here to respond”.

This was not a request or suggestion or recommendation. God commands Jeremiah to call on him.

What’s the lessons here?

I will answer this later.

I will reveal to you hidden things (meaning of unsearchable things)

If you read this passage from different versions of the Bible, different words are used for unsearchable. Words like “remarkable secrets” (NLT), “hidden things” (ESV), “incomprehensible things” (CSB). A picture of what God means is emerging.

But let’s go even deeper.

The Hebrew word for unsearchable is besuroth. It doesn’t just mean to hide something by simply putting it under a towel or even burying it.

Berusoth means to hide something in such a way that it is inaccessible. Like locking something away where only the right key can access it. 

Better yet, it’s like hiding something inside a city that has been fortified with extremely high walls that nobody can get through. Think about the walls of Jericho.

The inaccessible things are those that only God himself knows. And even more, only He understands. They are outside our knowledge or understanding. These are God’s secrets, hidden from us humans.

Because of our human limitations, we just don’t have the power or capacity for these things. That is, unless or until God opens the doors or breaks down the walls and reveals these things to us. 

I will reveal to you hidden things 

The next logical question is: What are the hidden things? What’s the secret that God is keeping?

In Jeremiah’s case, the rest of the chapter explains it. After God tells Jeremiah to call upon Him, God goes down a long list describing the future of Judah.

Who knows the future but God?

The thing that man cannot possibly know is what will become of him. Unless God pulls open the curtain to the future, it is sealed. Locked tightly in the mind of God. 

And how glorious and encouraging it is when God counts us worthy to show us these great, remarkable, hidden things that we could never know unless He tells us.

For Jeremiah, God tells him what would happen to Judah.

Now that you have the context, you will be blown away by the promises God made. Read the rest of chapter 33 to see the list of blessings.

Lessons from the meaning of Jeremiah 33:3

So then, what lessons are there for our lives from this tiny passage?

Even in punishment, God is there

As I said before, God commanded Jeremiah to call upon Him while the Babylonians were literally outside the city walls trying to get in.

This was punishment for the Judeans who had neglected God for way too long. Not just that. No matter how much God begged them to turn, they refused.

Yet, God comes on the brink of their collapse and says to call on Him.

You see, even in God’s decision to discipline, He doesn’t abandon. He’s right there in it with us. We must suffer the consequences of our decisions but God will not allow us to shoulder it alone. 

When He says he will never leave or forsake us, He really does mean it.

Turn towards God. He knows you need Him now more than ever.

So don’t stop praying. No matter how difficult or dark your situation, call on God. Even if the situation you’re in was due to bad choices and decisions, God hasn’t abandoned you. 

Even if you sense that your current circumstances were orchestrated by God, know that He’s closest to you now.

That marriage that’s become a burden instead of a blessing although you knew it wasn’t God’s plan.

The sea of debt you are drowning in because you could not wait on God to work in His own time in your finances.

The health problems you are now facing because you ignored God convicting you to make better choices with your food and exercise.

You know your situation.

He’s there in the darkness. With you. Turn your heart to Him. Close your eyes and pour out your heart to Him. He’s listening.

God will do just about anything to get our attention

For hundreds of years God had been trying to get Israel’s attention. From the time they left Egypt, God had been on journey with them. 

His desire was for them to put away false gods, wickedness, and disobedience.

Prophets like Jeremiah was God’s message of both love and warning. They were walking off a spiritual cliff but God could not get their attention. 

So what did God do? He sent them into captivity in Babylon.

God knew they would have to lose the comfort of a free, familiar life before they would give their full attention to Him.

 It was going to be a long and painful spiritual journey that affected every single aspect of their lives.

But guess what? Now, now God had their attention. That’s why He showed up right then to tell Jeremiah and all Judah to call upon Him.

There is nothing like a good dose of trouble to get us running back to God.

And you know something?

God is still taking drastic measures to get our attention today.

Think about a painful consequence you have had to face lately? Did it drive you to your knees? Did it make you sit up and pay attention to your walk with God?

As I write this, I write from such a place. But I know there is good news.

Which takes me to my next point.

God wants to reveal His secrets to you

One of the hardest things about being human is not knowing what will happen next in life. 

I think for Jeremiah and all of Judah, it was the thing that drove them crazy at this point. As they looked at the Babylonians over their walls actively plotting and planning their destruction, fear gripped them. 

I imagine they began to think up all the possible scenarios for their future.

“What will become of us when these Babylonians get in?

I imagine they thought about their husband’s being viciously murdered, their wives being abused, their children being captured, their families put in chains and marched off to Babylon. 

I imagine they thought about their memories of going up in flames as their homes and farmlands were set on fire.

They were probably thinking of the worst things as a million questions haunted their minds. 

But they didn’t have to live with unanswered questions. Why?

Because God said in Jeremiah 33:3 that if they called upon him, He would show them secret things that He himself had locked away.

God is in the business of letting His faithful children in on secrets, especially those about the future. 

That’s why the books of Daniel and Revelation shouldn’t be as scary to believers as to those who don’t believe.

There are other examples of God revealing unsearchable things to other Bible characters.

Take Joseph for example. God showed him his future in dreams. And when Pharaoh didn’t understand his dreams, God gave the interpretation to Joseph. 

Only God could know the details that Joseph was able to share. When Joseph called on God, the door to hidden things were open to Joseph.

For the Judeans facing destruction and enslavement, God wanted them to know that their lives wouldn’t end that way. 

That’s what the rest of Jeremiah 33 is about. He had a plan to bring them back home. 

He would reestablish them in their homeland. Their lives would be brimming with both sincere worship to God and wealth like they had never seen before.

Yes, right now you might be facing the bitterness of the consequences of a bad decision but call upon God. 

He’s definitely ready to tell you what’s next for you. If you’re interested, I guarantee that He’ll unlock the hidden things concerning you.

What is the message of Jeremiah 33:3 

It comes down to this: God wants to save us from ourselves and for himself and He will do whatever it takes. His discipline isn’t ever pleasant but in the middle of it He desires that we seek a relationship with Him. God wants us to turn towards Him not away from Him, especially when we are in trouble. 

God has a plan for each of us and He would so love to share it with us. But, we need to ask Him. God will answer the prayers that fulfill His will for your life.

Jeremiah 33:3 prayer

I hope you enjoyed this powerful and encouraging devotional on Jeremiah 33:3.

Not sure what to pray after reading all this? Here are some words of prayer that you can use for meditation.

Lord, I confess that I have not walked the path and lived the way you truly want me to live. I am sorry for keeping you on the sidelines of my life. Please forgive me of my disobedience and stubbornness. Right now I am struggling to deal with my current circumstances but I thank you Father for making yourself available to me even now. Give me the strength I need to stand up under this situation. Help me to turn towards you during this time instead of away from you. Draw my heart to yours, Lord. Hold me close to you and cushion the blows of life. And as I call upon you today, open the unsearchable things about my life that are in Your will for me to know right now. I desire to do your will. Amen.

Terms of Use: The contents of this blog post are restricted to your personal use only. If you are a Bible study teacher, you are free to allow this content to influence the lessons you teach or the sermons you present. However, the contents of this blog post may not be modified, compiled, combined with other content, copied, recorded, synchronized, transmitted, translated, formatted, distributed, publicly displayed, publicly performed, reproduced, given away, used to create derivative works and otherwise used or exploited (including for-profit or commercial gain) without the creator’s expressed permission. If you want to share this resource with others, please share the link to the blog post.