Our text in this post is from Jeremiah 15:18-19 (NLT)
Then I said, Lord, you know what is happening to me.
Please step in and help me. Punish my persecutors!
Please give me time; don’t let me die young.
It’s for Your sake that I am suffering.
When I discovered your words, I devoured them.
They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name
O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
I never joined the people in their merry feasts.
I sat alone because your hand was on me. I was filled with indignation at their sins.
Why then does my suffering continue? Why is my wound so incurable?
Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry.
God’s surprising response:
If you return to Me, I will restore you so that you can continue to serve Me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them. Do not let them influence you.
I love reading the stories about people like Jeremiah from the Old Testament. Just like us they struggled with the ups and downs of life and reacted as we often do in the flesh. This story is no exception.
When Jeremiah was first called by the Lord (vs.16). He devoured God’s words and these words were his joy and heart’s delight, the Bible tells us. He was glad to be in God’s service. This is a lot like what happens to us when we are first saved. Everything is wonderful. A whole new way of life has opened to us. WOW!!
In this scripture God is passing judgement on His people and Jeremiah; the Prophet is being persecuted in the process. He is undergoing heavy warfare and being attacked by his enemies for standing up for God. He is pretty sure that he is going to die, and he wants God to step in and take care of things. The sooner the better. Jeremiah is becoming frustrated with God as it seems that God isn’t hearing his prayers (ever been there?). He approaches God by using another tactic and does what some of us might do, present our case before God, and remind Him (in case He has forgotten) just how, good of a person he has been. Jeremiah reminds God that he never got involved in the merry feasts with the others. He said that he sat alone and was filled with indignation for those ungodly partying people (sounds like being judgemental ). Then Jeremiah says to God, why are You allowing my suffering to continue? After all he is a good person and he even insinuates that God can’t be trusted to look after him when he says that God’s help seems uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry. (vs.18).
God’s reply to Jeremiah is amazing. He says to Jeremiah in verse 19 (NLT)
If you return to Me, I will restore you so that you can continue to serve Me.
If you speak good words rather than worthless ones, you will be my spokesman.
You must influence them. Do not let them influence you.
First, God is saying that Jeremiah you need to repent (return to me) for getting your eyes off me and indicating that I am going to let you down. After Jeremiah repents, God promises to restore him so that he can continue to serve him. He also rebukes Jeremiah in the process saying if you speak good words rather than worthless ones Jeremiah, you can be God’s my spokesman.
Finally, what great advice that God gives Jeremiah when he says to him.
“You must influence them. Do not let them influence you.”
This is such good timeless advice for all of us today. I believe we are now living in a world where words and deeds of evil people continues to spread like wildfire especially through the mainstream media and the devil is doing his best to influence us and the world around us.
Maybe we may say as Jeremiah that God’s help seems uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry or something similar. God told Jeremiah to repent of his unbelief and pride (attesting to his own goodness). I believe that God is saying the same thing to us today as well.
We also must be careful of the words that we speak so that good words come out of our mouths and not worthless words. Then God tells us that we like Jeremiah can be His spokesman. If we want to be God’s spokesman, we also must repent so that we, the Church (ecclesia) will be the ones influencing the world around us and not the other way around.