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Honesty With God
Monday, July 24th
7 You deceived[a] me, Lord, and I was deceived[b];
you overpowered me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach all day long.
9 But if I say, "I will not mention his word
or speak anymore in his name,"
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whispering,
"Terror on every side!
Denounce him! Let's denounce him!"
All my friends
are waiting for me to slip, saying,
"Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail over him
and take our revenge on him."
11 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;
their dishonor will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.
13 Sing to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.
14 Cursed be the day I was born!
May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!
15 Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,
who made him very glad, saying,
"A child is born to you-a son!"
16 May that man be like the towns
the Lord overthrew without pity.
May he hear wailing in the morning,
a battle cry at noon.
17 For he did not kill me in the womb,
with my mother as my grave,
her womb enlarged forever.
18 Why did I ever come out of the womb
to see trouble and sorrow
and to end my days in shame?
Jeremiah 20: 7-18
Jeremiah presents his final "lament" here in verses 7-18 where he continues to struggle with the fact that his message from God is falling on deaf ears and its now having deep impacts on his own personality and emotions. We see a prophet who has pressed himself in his work for 2 decades and seen no reply from the people. Jeremiah is at wits end and cries out to God in anger, praise and remorse.
Jeremiah has fallen into a trap that you and I can see play out in our own lives from time to time. He is exhausted from the work that seems to be paying no dividends, mad that he's in a position where those around him mock and ridicule him and upset that God doesn't seem to be doing anything about it.
From time to time in my life, I have found myself angry and upset with God for his silence. I have believed the lies that God has turned away from me and I must be on the road all alone and that's a very dangerous and scary place to be.
Have you ever gotten lost in the dark while you're driving. By my own admission, I have only been lost 2 times in my life (okay, so probably more but I just don't want to admit defeat). One time I was traveling with a friend and we were headed south for a conference we were leading. There was much traffic on the interstate so we chose to peel off the "beaten path" and traveled a slower road (alas one that was moving though) and headed for our destination. It was nearing dusk as we turned down a narrow, two lane gravel road and made the decision to turn left and head towards our location. Mind you, this was "pre Google" and at the earliest advent of mapquest. We were moving without many "tools". Everything seemed to be going our way until the sun set and we were left traveling in total darkness. I don't recall how long it took or how late we were for the conference but I do know that I had chill bumps a few times as we tried to navigate an area that we were unfamiliar with in the darkness. It was scary, challenging and certainly had our full attention.
I believe this is much like our walk with Christ at certain times. We seem to be doing okay as long as we see the "light" but as soon as darkness sets in and we find ourselves in a deep dark place, we lose all sense of direction and begin to focus on the darkness (obstacle) and not the Creator. In this passage, Jeremiah's there...he is intently focused on the dark things and feelings all around him. He has a flash of brilliance as he cries out to God in verses 11-13 but then falls back into the "dark place" and trap in verses 14-18. There is much to be learned from Jeremiah's place here.
1. Remember God's truth not Satan's lies.
Jeremiah feels like he's in a pit but somehow along the way, he recalls the presence and work of God in his own life and seeks to praise him in the storm. Praising God in the midst of challenges and obstacles helps refocus us away from the obstacle and towards something bigger, better and more trustworthy...our God who loves us and will go to the ends of the earth to redeem us.
2. Never quit talking to God.
Jeremiah is upset, he's angry and he's not being very respectful but he continues to reach out and seek after God. He is taking it all before God and that example can play out in wonderful ways for us each and every day as we chose dialogue and communication instead of the silent treatment.
3. Reclaim God's promises and praise Him.
Jeremiah, just before his tirade sends him back into depression, praises God for who He is and how He will provide the ultimate justice in an unjust situation. There are always silver linings and theres always something to be praised when it comes to a life in Christ. Chose that path.
Today and this week we will continue to develop and discover how God uses opposition to bring us in alignment with His will and to grow us and train us as his disciples. Let's face it, our world is filled with opposition all around so we better sharpen our tactics and methods for dealing with it.
Prayer
God, we know that you're the great rescuer even when we feel nothing but darkness all around. Prepare our hearts for the ways that you are working despite the challenges we face to bring us into a relationship with you our Lord. Amen
Have you ever experienced darkness so deep that it scared you? What memories does that provoke? How did you climb out? How did you experience God in that place (Or wish that you had experienced Him)?
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