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Jeremiah 15 (ESV)

¹⁵ O Lord, you know;
remember me and visit me,
and take vengeance for me on my persecutors.
In your forbearance take me not away;
know that for your sake I bear reproach.
¹⁶ Your words were found, and I ate them,
and your words became to me a joy
and the delight of my heart,
for I am called by your name,
O Lord, God of hosts.
¹⁷ I did not sit in the company of revelers,
nor did I rejoice;
I sat alone, because your hand was upon me,
for you had filled me with indignation.
¹⁸ Why is my pain unceasing,
my wound incurable,
refusing to be healed?
Will you be to me like a deceitful brook,
like waters that fail?

¹⁹ Therefore thus says the Lord:
“If you return, I will restore you,
and you shall stand before me.
If you utter what is precious, and not what is worthless,
you shall be as my mouth.
They shall turn to you,
but you shall not turn to them.
²⁰ And I will make you to this people
a fortified wall of bronze;
they will fight against you,
but they shall not prevail over you,
for I am with you
to save you and deliver you,
declares the Lord.
²¹ I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked,
and redeem you from the grasp of the ruthless.”

REFLECTION:

Jeremiah blamed God for not helping him when he needed His help the most. Jeremiah felt anger, pain, and fear in his heart. He only took pity for his own experience and no longer focused on God’s will. God was not angry at Jeremiah, but just re-adjusted Jeremiah’s priorities through His response. As the spokesperson of God, Jeremiah’s primary duty is to influence others, not to be influenced by others. This passage reminds us that as God’s children, God wants us to trust Him in everything. We can express our deepest thoughts and emotions to God through prayer, even if we blame God. God will be gracious to us like he did to Jeremiah. He will be with us and save us from evil. At the same time, He also wants us to understand that no matter what environment we are in or what difficulties we encounter, as God’s people, our primary task is to represent God to influence those in the world who don’t know God, and to bear witness for God to manifest His glory.

PRAYER:

Pour out your incomprehension and even complaints about God in your heart, and listen carefully to God’s loving response. Ask God to make you obey the incomprehensible things, and lead you through this obedience. Make you a humble and holy child of God so that not only you will not be affected by the world, but to be a good witness for God among the non-believers.

HYMN:

Build My Life – youtu.be/smrq6hc-vcU