God, listen to me! Just listen to what my enemies are saying. Should I get paid evil for good? That's what they're doing. They've made plans to kill me! Remember all the times I stood up for them before you, speaking up for them, trying to soften your anger? (18:19-20)
You pushed me into this, God, and I let you do it. You were too much for me. And now I'm a public joke. They all poke fun at me....all I get for my God-warnings are insults and contempt. But if I say, 'Forget it! No more God-Messages from me!' the words are fire in my belly, a burning in my bones. I'm worn out trying to hold it in. I can't do it any longer! ...Life's been nothing but trouble and tears, and what's coming is more of the same. (20:7-9, 18)Jeremiah poured out his heart to God, letting Him know how distressed he was. He honestly let God know the depth of pain and weariness that he felt. What was God's response to this vulnerability?
God said to me: 'Go buy a clay pot....' (19:1)
God's Message to Jeremiah...'Tell Zedekiah: 'This is the God of Israel's Message to you: You can say good-bye to your army...'" (21:1-3)Where's the compassion? The pity? Why isn't God comforting Jeremiah, telling him that it will be all right? Where are God's words of understanding for Jeremiah, telling him that he needs to take care of himself? God just stays on point, never wavering from the Message. Does Jeremiah's suffering matter to God? Isn't it even worth a pause, a moment of relief?
Jeremiah's response was to deliver God's Message. He didn't wait around for God to throw him a pity party, he obeyed. His view of God did not change.
But God, a most fierce warrior, is at my side....I rest my case with you. (20:11-12)That's not usually my response when I feel like God has abandoned me or hung me out to dry. I stomp my foot a little harder, yell a little louder, and pout so that those around me will notice and I can get the pity I think I deserve. I have a lot to learn from Jeremiah. Apparently, so does Eugene Peterson. Here's what he observes about Jeremiah:
"In Jeremiah it is is clear that the excellence comes from a life of faith, from being more interested in God than in self, and has almost nothing to do with comfort or esteem or achievement. Here is a person who lived life to the hilt, but there it not a hint of human pride or worldly success or personal achievement in the story. Jeremiah arouses my passion for a full life. At the same time he firmly shuts the door against attempt to achieve it through self-promotion, self-gratification or self-improvement. …
Yes, I had to look up prowess: "exceptional valor, bravery or ability." But Jeremiah's prowess was not rooted in himself or his own determination. It was rooted in his God."The complexity and intensity of [Jeremiah] caught and kept my attention. The captivating quality in the man is his goodness, his virtue, his excellence. He lived at his best. He was not a hothouse piety, for he lived through crushing storms of hostility and furies of bitter doubt. There is not a trace of smugness or complacency or naivete in Jeremiah – every muscle in his body was stretched to the limits by fatigue, every thought in his mind subjected to rejection, every feeling in his heart put through fires of ridicule. Goodness in Jeremiah was not ‘being nice.’ It was something more like prowess." (Run with the Horses)
"Read carefully the record of Jeremiah's struggles....I rescued him from faithless unbelief, from hopeless despair, and from unloving self-obsession. And now My Son has made it possible for you to live a life of abundant though severely tested faith, abundant though seriously challenged hope, and abundant though painfully sacrificial love. That is the good news I bring from Me to you in this letter." (66 LL)
3 comments:
You are right, Staci, Jeremiah is a great role model for us. He was open and honest with God, but he trusted himself completely to God's care, moving forward in faith, always in faith.
I want to move forward in faith, moment by moment, fully surrendered to God regardless of my circumstances. As Mike and I look for a new NYC apartment, I want to believe in the goodness of God, even when I'm weary. I want to hold fast to His Word and His promises, even when my feet ache from pounding the pavement and I'm sweaty, irritated and thirsty. I don't want my circumstances to dictate my faith.
Thanks for this insight this morning!
Despite all the gloom and doom in my reading today, I was overwhelmed for moments during this reading by God's mercy in my own life. In my struggle with my own "false gods", I am feeling overwhelmed by God's love and mercy. He didn't destroy me and I deserve to be destroyed. It's a "feeling thing" for me today . Thank you God for seeing the "white sheet" of Jesus over me and not my sin. Thank you God! Thank you God! Thank you for Jesus! Help me to become the woman/wife/mom you want me to be. I love You!
I attended the Willow Creek Global Leadership Summit last week (excellent, as usual), and during one of the sessions, Bill Hybels spoke on Jeremiah. The topic was "Tough Callings" and Jeremiah was the biblical example.
Hybels made the observation that, as we see in chapter 20, Jeremiah was torn between his calling from God and his ache for success. But, he didn't turn from his calling and try to make his ministry successful. He faithfully served God although he never experienced success in worldly terms. The Israelites never listened.
The story of Jeremiah definitely makes me think. I'm, too, am inspired by his constant faith, Sarah. And like Lisa, I'm becoming more and more aware of my sin and God's incredible (and underserved) love and mercy toward me.
Glad you're back on here, Sarah! I've missed you. Harry and I are praying that God finds just the right place for you and Mike, like He did last time. I'm sure you're weary - I can only imagine - but He is faithful. Can't wait to see how He does it this time! Love you.
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