Jeremiah was certainly one of the most distinguished notables of the Old Testament. To read his messages and experiences is to become acquainted with a great servant of God. I believe he revealed more of his inner feelings and personal reactions toward God and man, than did any other prophet or prophetess in Old Testament times. He was a young man of approximately 21 years of age when he accepted his divine calling to minister to the nations.
But Jeremiah lived in very bad times, times not too unlike our own. On the political front there was a great power struggle going on between the super structures. Assyria had occupied the leadership for some three centuries but now, she was weakening. Babylon was ascending in power and Egypt too, was striving for the position of world master.
Socially and religiously, conditions were rapidly declining. God's chosen nation had forsaken Him. They ignored the instructions as given to them by Moses and had turned instead to idolatry and harlotry. They abused the temple and yet, they mistakenly assumed that God's presence was still with them. But at some moment in that strange transformative time of history, Jeremiah (and others) had heard God's call and responded.
For Jeremiah, this meant that he had to leave the comfortable life he had made for himself. He had to relinquish all that had been safe and secure and respectable to become a spokesman and representative of God.
Well, Jeremiah performed his job. He had worked a long time and suffered much to discourage him. He had been beaten, imprisoned, ridiculed, mocked, publicly humiliated, betrayed by close friends, plotted against and made the target of revenge. Surely we can understand his eventual collapse under the pressure.
Jeremiah sunk into a state of despair when the world into which he was sent persecuted him. He permitted his zeal in the service of the Lord to be eclipsed by the magnitude of his troubles. He was strife worn, struggle weary, and tired out from trying to fix a sinning, degenerating society. His vision was out of focus; his view wasn't clear for him anymore. And so he slips into a state of depression and like Job, cursed the day he was born.
That is what discouragement does to us. It obscures faith and prostitutes strength. It brings despair and depression so that it is difficult even to relate to God.
But in passing, I have noticed something peculiar under the sun. I have noticed that most of us are inclined to live in terms of our feelings. We have ego problems. I suggest this because it seems as long as things progress the way we wish them to, we have a zest for living and doing. As long as life runs smoothly and our work is appreciated, then we are satisfied and pacified and gratified. As long as life is a bowl of roses, even God gets to stand in our good graces. But when circumstances are adverse we are ready to quickly point a righteous finger of blame at God or wave the white banner of surrender. When the black clouds of troubles hover over our home and all is well turns to all is hell, too many of us are ready to throw the towel in before the battle has even begun.
Jeremiah was indeed human like the rest of us. And even though he shared our tendency to allow our darkened world to discourage us and distort our perspective he was yet keenly sensitive to the fact that God had called him to a service. He said, "God's word was in my heart as a burning fire, shut up in my bones and I cannot hold my peace."
I can understand Jeremiah because I am Jeremiah. I understand what happens to you when the Word gets in you; you forget yourself. You find the patience to run this race. You cannot sit back and feel sorry for your pitiful self. You must "work the works of Him that sent you while it is day, the night cometh when no man can work," You cannot hold your peace because God's word cannot be contained. When God's word gets in you, you have got to tell somebody what He has done for you. You must speak it, write it, sing it, hand-sign it, preach it through musical instruments. It is like a flaming fire within our bones that eternally burns and will not let us rest.
It was God's burning word that drew those long ago people out of their secure places. And God's compelling word is calling us today out of our easy places to heal the sin-sick work.
When I would give up and run and hide someplace, the fire within burns: You are the light of the world, a city set on a hill cannot be hid. When I would keep silent and retreat into my secure world, the fire within burns: You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its savor how can it be restored? When I would throw the towel in and go off to myself somewhere, the fire within burns: rescue the perishing, care for the dying, lift up the fallen, encourage the young.
When I would resign from my calling, I feel a fire burning within me. It is the same fire that made Abraham and Sarah leave their family and friends and home to go forth without maps or guides. It is the same fire that made Ruth break with her corporate history to dwell among a foreign people. It is the same fire that made Mother Theresa leave all and go into foreign missionary work. It is the same fire that made Mary Bethune devote her life to wiping out illiteracy among Blacks. It is the same fire that motivated Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. to preach peace in the midst of violent and hostile environments. It is the same fire?..
Be encouraged today my friends. Lay aside every weight that so easily beset us and let us join together and run on. Let us run this race with perseverance, determination, with God's word burning in our bones. Let us run until like King, we can say, "I have been to the mountain top and I have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord." Let us run on until like Paul we can say, "I have fought a good fight, I stayed on the battlefield, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."
Be encouraged today to keep running. Let us run together until we cannot run anymore yet, with God's burning word burning in our hearts.
Rev. Saundra L. Washington, D.D., is an ordained clergywoman, veteran social worker, and Founder of AMEN Ministries. She is also the author of two coffee table books: Room Beneath the Snow: Poems that Preach and Negative Disturbances: Homilies that Teach which can be reviewed on her site. Her new book, Out of Deep Waters: My Grief Management Workbook, is expected to be available in July.
You are welcome to visit AMEN Ministries: Your Soul's Service Station for spiritual refreshing, soul edification, to browse our newly expanded mini shopping mall or to peruse our recommended books.
Blessings to all!
Have you ever been encountered with a trauma in life... Read More
It's easy to tell the difference between true inner guidance... Read More
Direct Answers - Column for the week of January 27,... Read More
Direct Answers - Column for the week of November 11,... Read More
It is time to take responsibility for our actions and... Read More
We are drowning in it, our grey matter is swollen... Read More
We have all grown up in an age where exploration... Read More
All this week I have been singing.This week I have... Read More
Jeremiah was certainly one of the most distinguished notables of... Read More
Keeping a journal during the coaching process is one of... Read More
Fear. What is it? Can you touch it? Can you... Read More
There are reasons we cross paths with those that we... Read More
Continued....When I turned 18 years old, I met a new... Read More
Who dares to teach must never cease to learn. -... Read More
Direct Answers - Column for the week of February 3,... Read More
In Catholic school the nuns used to tell us that... Read More
It has been six months since I left the corporate... Read More
Discovering the Art of Bending Your Mindset and Manifesting your... Read More
Two years ago I was in a wheelchair and told... Read More
Both failure and success are good... if you know what... Read More
Many successful persons advise you start your day with a... Read More
"We are responsible for everything in our lives, including how... Read More
Fulfilling your dreams will remain a mirage if you simply... Read More
It's interesting how we intellectually know that tomorrow will be... Read More
When you realize that you really want to have an... Read More
A Story (Source Unknown) ? One day a very wealthy... Read More
Direct Answers - Column for the week of August 19,... Read More
Everyone wants a blue ribbon. Blue. First place. The best.... Read More
A Word Fitly SpokenA word fitly spoken is like apples... Read More
For one who takes pride in being involved with different... Read More
The tiny dogwood sapling was only a twig when my... Read More
There is a reason I never gave up. A reason... Read More
This is the eighth article in our "True Power" series.... Read More
Another preposterous idea from yours truly, even the thought makes... Read More
I just got back from Colorado where I spent a... Read More
Yesterday I turned 48, and she just turned 21. Uh-oh,... Read More
I will persist until I succeed. Always will I take... Read More
Ju was physically abused as a child. She lived with... Read More
Each of us has two distinct choices to make about... Read More
Many of us seek consolation in the words of Frank... Read More
The other night I was watching a documentary on that... Read More
Buddhists study nothing because they have found that you must... Read More
Have you ever been encountered with a trauma in life... Read More
Each day brings a new beginning. It's a new leaf... Read More
Continued....I have since grown a lot. I have grown through... Read More
For our diet and, indeed, in every aspect of our... Read More
I wrote about my life and all that I have... Read More
There are discoveries all around ussmall gifts of joy that... Read More
We all love picnics. They represent a fun time as... Read More
I love to talk about Purposeful Living with others and... Read More
We have given a lot of thought, paid an indecent... Read More
The true test in life does not occur when all... Read More
When I was a child, I remember that my parents... Read More
"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and... Read More
This week is Part Five of our five part series... Read More
Purpose. What is purpose? Drinking coffee when you wake up... Read More
Wonders never cease. Just when those in our area of... Read More
Those of you, who can fathom yourselves welcoming and enjoying... Read More
Besides your daily feelings, thoughts, and experiences journal, there are... Read More
Even immediately after my car accident, every single person who... Read More
When I study of world these days, I see a... Read More
One of the major reasons why we fail to find... Read More
Judge not, lest ye be judged. ?Matthew 7:1The call was... Read More
The world is perfect the way it is. The world... Read More
Have you ever dreamed of a new house? Have you... Read More
Most people, when they have to complete a creative endeavour,... Read More
Inspirational |