Jeremiah is not a happy camper in this chapter. He’s basically telling God: “Hey, look, you know what’s going on here. You called me to this gig, so could you help me out? And it’d be great if you’d help me…NOW. I’ve done everything you’ve expected of me. I’m innocent and I’ve been nothing but faithful and devoted to you. So how long will this suffering continue? Why are my wounds incurable?”
You’ll notice that Jeremiah starts off on the right track – he addresses God, offers a petition, and states his innocence. However, then he moves into complaining. I find it interesting how God doesn’t respond to the complaint, but the complainer. He’s more concerned about Jeremiah’s heart than his circumstances. God tells Jeremiah that he needs to repent for his poor attitude of self-pity and blame and stay faithful to his calling, to God. And God says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman.”
What a great reminder that my circumstances don’t justify wrong attitudes or behaviors. As Henri Nouwen writes: “Our life is full of brokenness – broken relationships, broken promises, broken expectations. How can we live that brokenness without becoming bitter and resentful except by returning again and again to God’s faithful presence in our lives?”
-Gina G.
Ahhh Gina I love what you wrote!
ReplyDeleteI, myself, am having a somewhat of a "Jeremiah" day. Your paraphrase made it so clear that I am struggling in quite the same area as him.
As encouraging as it is to find words to describe my heart and a Godly man in my boat, I'm still having to caution myself against the "misery loves company" mindset. Just because Jeremiah (a prophet) acted this way certainly does not justify my behavior either.
I want to spend some time with the Lord to hear his response to me --what calling do I need to stay faithful to?
The Henri Nouwen quote you closed with is a great one, Gina. I read it aloud to Katie this morning and we chewed on it before tackling the day. Wow. He really articulates this perfectly and leaves us with a great question to apply...
ReplyDeleteThe bad dnews? "Our life is full of brokenness." The good news? God loves broken things.
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