What brings you to tears? A sappy movie, hearing about natural disasters and people suffering, a moving worship song, etc. Few, if any, of us have had a situation like Jeremiah where he pronounced doom on his friends and co-habitants of Judah only to watch the horrific destruction come to pass. In that situation, I would be weeping, too.
As it is, looking around at how some people today are following in Judah’s footsteps of idolatry and trusting false prophets, tears aren’t far from my eyes. There are plenty of examples in the Bible speaking to the strength of our sinful nature, I shouldn’t be surprised of the human frailty I see in me and those I love.
God’s anger was provoked, and bad things happened. For me, this harks back to the story of Noah in Genesis 6-9 when God’s wrath played out and destroyed nearly everyone on earth along with many of God’s creatures.
People today will tell you that God is loving and merciful. That has always been true. I am thankful for God’s loving kindness, his forgiveness, his grace. Why would I want to jeopardize the best relationship I have by doing dumb stuff that angers God? It makes me curious why other people don’t think the same way. Have you ever had such thoughts?
There is a time to weep and mourn, and there is a time for joy and abundance. Sometimes those times are superimposed on themselves, and all sorts of emotions are flowing at the same time. I like these verses from Ecclesiastes 3. “For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven … A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.” We need to be content in the season of life we are in but always strive to be closer to Jesus.
I feel for Jeremiah. His job was enormous trying to get people to listen and obey God. When that wasn’t happening, he had to tell about the consequences. Then almost immediately God acted. Jeremiah saw firsthand these very consequences and lamented he could do nothing more to save people.
Jeremiah was faithful. His example for us is to not be afraid to have an unpopular view or conviction. If your belief is in alignment with God and his word you’re set. Who are you trying to please?
Let’s pray … Lord, my heart breaks when I see how people are treating you even today. Forgive me for those times that I hesitate to walk boldly in faith. Empower me to be strong and alert, fighting for your truth. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
