Prayer Journal
Saturday, September 23, 2000
Everyone goes through periods of discouragement. When plans and dreams lay broken on the ground and you walk through the rubble, everything can seem pointless and hopeless. Not only are your dreams shattered, but those left standing are thought to be in danger of the same demise.
Jeremiah was God's man in a day when everyone around him seemed intent on ignoring God and doing evil. As a young person, Jeremiah reminded God that there surely was someone else who could do a better job than him. God reminded Jeremiah that He would never forsake him, but would rescue him when he got in trouble.
"But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, I am only a child.' You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you, declares the Lord." Jer 1:7,8
Jeremiah, the weeping prophet, did a lot of crying. Few of those tears were by virtue of his uncomfortable position. Instead his tears were for a people who could not see and would not obey God. In fact, Jeremiah wrote the book of Lamentations as lament for Israel's sin.
I'm certain Jeremiah had plans and aspiration for his ministry. He heard God and obeyed Him. Surely God's people would do the same thing when they heard God. But, it wasn't long before Jeremiah knew he was "called" to spend his life in emotional isolation. He heard and preached God's word, yet he could not bring the people to listen and obey.
If you're like me, you've seen more than a few broken dreams in your life. It's not unlikely that, like me, you wonder if you are being faithful to what you feel God has called you to do. The more we follow where we believe God is leading us, we experience the isolation that Jeremiah felt. These daily devotions reflect such a loneliness in my life.
Most every morning I compose and publish devotions, never knowing if they will be read. Some have told me they've been blessed by them and I am grateful for that. However, my motivation to continue this work is not for immediate gratification. Rather, I write as if Jesus is sitting by me, listening. I ask Him to use it where He will and ask Him to receive the praise for anything good that comes from it.
If you think I've lost it, listen to what the Lord told Jeremiah in 1:12:
"The Lord said to me, 'You have seen correctly, for I am watching to see that my word is fulfilled.'" Just Thinkin'.. WebServant
(1) Scripture comes from the Holy Bible, New International Version; (c)1978 by New York International Bible Society
(2) The images used herein were obtained from the Learning Company's ClickArt Christian Graphics Deluxe product, (c)1999 The Learning Company, Inc and its subsidiaries, 88 Roland Way, Novato, CA 94945 USA. All Rights Reserved.
