Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the one I praise. They keep saying to me, “Where is the word of the LORD? Let it now be fulfilled!” I have not run away from being Your shepherd; You know I have not desired the day of despair. What passes my lips is open before You. (17:14-16)
There is much to consider in Jeremiah 17 but I was drawn to Jeremiah’s words in verses 14-16. it is Jeremiah’s relationship to the Lord that keeps jumping out to me in this book.
Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for You are the one I praise. Jeremiah has full confidence in God. He is the epitome of the blessed man who trusts in the Lord and not in his own strength (17:5-8). That really is the ultimate question in life, the dividing line between the blessed life and the cursed life–do I trust in my own strength and ability (or in the strength and ability of others) or do I trust in the LORD? It is oftentimes hard to know because our hearts are deceitful and can fool us into thinking we are more spiritual than we are. However the best indication probably comes from our prayer life. The less we pray, the more we are trusting in our own strength or in something else to get us through.
They keep saying to me, “Where is the word of the LORD? Let it now be fulfilled!” Jeremiah faced mocking resentment almost daily from the people he ministered to. What was his response?
I have not run away from being Your shepherd… He endured. He kept moving forward. He stayed faithful. You know I have not desired the day of despair… He did not enjoy the prospect of God’s judgment or revel in the fact that God was going to wipe out his nation because of sin. In fact, he pleaded with God over and over to spare His people to the point that God had to tell him to stop. What passes my lips is open before You. Jeremiah was an open book before God. He openly shared what was on his heart with God in prayer.
Those thoughts hit me this morning…I put my confidence in God…I do not run away from being a shepherd…I do not desire the day of despair (for myself or for others)…my heart is an open book before God.
Trust…endurance…sensitivity…honesty and integrity before God.
I do not know what God has in store for our nation today. I do not know what opposition, persecution, or ridicule we as Christians may face in the days ahead. But Jeremiah’s commitment would be the same prescription today. Put your confidence in the Lord not in man. Don’t run away from speaking God’s Word and ministering to others. Keep your heart sensitive and honest with God.