Skip to main content

Tuesday Devotion: Jeremiah 12

By

Like Jeremiah, I’m sure we’ve all had those burning questions; that while we can ask our pastors or leaders, we want to ultimately hear from God too.

Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Asaph asked the same question in Psalm 73. Hopefully without pride, Jeremiah understood that he was righteous and most of those that were in Judah and Jerusalem were wicked. And yet, they were prospering while Jeremiah seemed to be suffering a lot. How many of you have found yourselves in a similar position; when we see people who we have deemed to be evil or lack compassion and yet they continue to prosper before our very eyes?

Jeremiah proceeded to boldly contrast his life with the life of the wicked – perhaps those who threatened him (Jer. 11:18-19). He knew that his life and heart were tested before God in a way that their lives did not seem to be. In the previous chapter, he felt like he was a sheep for the slaughter (Jer. 11:19). He prayed that the wicked would now be put in that same place. He went on to tell God that because He did not answer the wicked with judgement, it brought mourning to the land.

God’s resolution to Jeremiah’s question? Without directly answering, God encouraged Jeremiah to regard his present challenge as a preparation for greater challenges to come (Jer 12:5). By analogy, Jeremiah could expect to run against horses in the future. He needed to learn to trust God and to draw on His strength in his present challenge and put on the armor of God. The greater challenges that came later was evident when Jeremiah spent a night in the stocks (Jer. 20:1-3), confinement in a cistern (Jer.38:6), and imprisonment in the court of the guard (Jer. 28:13).

While we may ask God questions or have doubts about his judgement, will we take and accept the resolve that has already been given? Jeremiah’s story can embolden us to bring our complaints and pain to God. In looking up to our loving God, we will find a higher perspective and renewed hope; for he is always with us (Rom. 8:31-39), he knows our pain intimately (Heb. 4:14-16), and he can redeem our efforts for his glory (Rom. 8:28). Like Jeremiah, we can find success in faithfulness to God and his words (Gal. 1: 6-10).


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Danger of Spiritual Infancy (Hebrews 5:11 - 6:12)

By
Have you met people who refuse to grow up? There are some adults who prefer to remain as children because they do not want to take on adult responsibilities. Not only is immature behaviour unpleasant to observe or deal with, the consequences are often destructive. In Hebrews 5:11-14, the writer expresses his frustration that some members of the church were refusing to grow into spiritual maturity. They were no longer trying to understand God’s word (v 11). Instead of taking on the responsibility of teaching others as they themselves had been taught, they needed to be taught the basics all over again (v12). Therefore, they were unable to take on “solid food” which is for mature Christians, and they were not able to distinguish good from evil (v14) or to understand teaching about righteousness (v13). Spiritual maturity is a necessary part of our walk with God. Remaining as a spiritual infant means that you are not good at discerning right from wrong and you will have a hard time maintain
Post a Comment
Read more

A prophet prophesies and the church fully obeys (Acts 11:27- 12:4)

By
During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) 29 The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. 30 This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. 12 It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover. When Jewish believers from Cyprus (Europe) and Cyrene (Liby
Post a Comment
Read more

THE BLESSINGS OF HIS NAME (Numbers 6:22 - 27

By
I find this interesting because I remember listening to Pastor Betty’s message for 2021, and it was on the same Benediction Blessing verses. And today’s Scripture reading is exactly the same, and I am sure the Holy Spirit wants to remind us of “The Blessings of His Name” for 2022. Today, our mobile phones are loaded with New Year wishes, TV and radio personalities wish into microphones and cameras – we hear them from so many different sources. Carefully note what God tells us: “Tell Aaron and his sons, ‘This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them, The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you; The LORD turn His face toward you and give you peace.’ So, they will put My name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:23-27) In this way, God places His all-important NAME on us, His people. A comparison would be that of signing on a cheque. An unsigned check is void and worthless until the owner ‘s “name” has been pl
Post a Comment
Read more