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Jeremiah 45 (ESV)

1 The word that Jeremiah the prophet spoke to Baruch the son of Neriah, when he wrote these words in a book at the dictation of Jeremiah, in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: ² “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, to you, O Baruch: ³ You said, ‘Woe is me! For the Lord has added sorrow to my pain. I am weary with my groaning, and I find no rest.’ ⁴ Thus shall you say to him, Thus says the Lord: Behold, what I have built I am breaking down, and what I have planted I am plucking up—that is, the whole land. ⁵ And do you seek great things for yourself? Seek them not, for behold, I am bringing disaster upon all flesh, declares the Lord. But I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go.”

REFLECTION:

This chapter was written between 605-604 BC. Baruch was the scribe who was responsible for recording Jeremiah’s information on the scroll. Baruch had long served Jeremiah, the unpopular prophet, and wrote down the Book of Jeremiah, a book full of struggles and judgments. At this time, the scribe seemed to have reached the end of his way, extremely discouraged and depressed. However, God used Jeremiah to tell him not to worry about personal honor and benefits, and said that if Baruch would follow God’s guidance, he would be protected by God (“I will give you your life as a prize of war in all places to which you may go” means to save his life from disaster). It is inevitable that we will experience disappointment or even pain and despair in our life and ministry. This passage tells us that the secret to getting out of the predicament is to focus on God’s promise. Once our attention leaves God, it is easy to lose the joy of serving God, because the less we see God, the more discouraged we will be. When we serve God, we should be careful not to focus solely on what we sacrificed, or to plot conspiracy without seeking God’s will. If we fall into this situation, we should ask God for forgiveness, and then return our attention to God.

PRAYER:

Pray for God to attract your attention and make your mind and heart linger on God’s grace, love, and beauty; pray for God to make you forget all the pain and sacrifice in your life and service, so that you can understand that what you do is for God, not to please people but to please God; ask God to make you long for Him more, as a deer pants for flowing streams, living in God’s truth all day long.

HYMN:

Great Is Your Faithfulness – youtu.be/ZYBBAF4SfV4