Today's Journal
WORDS IN OUR MOUTH II
I’m still considering some thoughts from yesterday’s Journal entry from Jeremiah 1.After the Lord spoke to Jeremiah as a young man and gave him his call as ‘a prophet to the nations’ and gave promise of provision of speech, protection and not to be afraid, ‘I will be with you,’ he then told him his responsibility: “Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.” (Jeremiah 1:10)
Jeremiah preached and prophesied for 40 years. He was told by the Lord to “not to take a wife for yourself nor have sons and daughters.” (Jeremiah 16:2) He lived a lonely, sad, abused, depressing and rejected life from all of Judah as he tried to warn them of their wicked ways and get them to repent and turn back to the Lord. He prophesied under the kings Josiah (a Godly king) and Jehoiakim and Zedekiah (evil kings).
Jeremiah is known as ‘the weeping prophet’ because of his brokenness for the people of Judah because they would not repent and turn to the Lord from their wickedness. He spent much time trying to tell of an impending attack from enemies to destroy Jerusalem.
This is the lament of Jeremiah:
“Give glory to the Lord your God before it is too late.
Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you,
causing you to stumble and fall on the darkening mountains. For then, when you look for light, you will find only terrible darkness and gloom. And if you still refuse to listen, I will weep alone because of your pride.
My eyes will overflow with tears, because the Lord’s flock will be led away into exile.” (Jeremiah 13:17)
Maybe his message is still timely for other nations as well…
“In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!” Jesus