Many of us have experienced a broken heart. Maybe it was a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife that tore your heart out, ripped it up, and then threw it down on the ground and stomped on it. Maybe it was a family member that treated you like an enemy instead of a blood relative. Maybe it was a close friend that treated you like you where all of a sudden their worst enemy. Yes, we know what it is to be broken hearted.
But have you ever been broken hearted over those who are not seeking the face of God. Have you ever been broken hearted over the people of God, who know better but don't. Have you ever poured yourself into others so much that you feel utterly empty inside, just to have them be totally opposite of what your desire is.
God was so frustrated with His people in the book of Jeremiah that three times He told Jeremiah to stop praying for the people:
16 “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you. (Je 7:16, NIV)
14 “Do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them, because I will not listen when they call to me in the time of their distress. (Je 11:14, NIV)
11 Then the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the well-being of this people. (Je 14:11, NIV)
God has made it very clear to Jeremiah in this book that the people are not listening to Him, they are very prideful (they actually told Jeremiah that since they are God's people He wouldn't really do anything to them), and that He should not pray for the people because God is not going to listen. God is very slow to anger, so we know this was a very long time coming. The time is now here. God is going to do what He has to do in order to get their attention. I don't want to focus on what Israel was doing, How God punished them, or even why God punished them.
I want to focus on Jeremiah and how he felt. He felt broken hearted:
“‘Let my eyes overflow with tears night and day without ceasing (Je 14:17a, NIV)
Jeremiah had poured so much of his life into the people. He used all of his time, energy, and gifts God had given him into helping the people. He had emptied himself so much that it was giving him deep emotional wounds:
18 Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable? (Je 15:18., NIV)
Jeremiah felt like he had let God down, the people down, and himself down because nothing he had done was changing the people.
Can you feel Jeremiah's pain? Can you Identify with him?
Jeremiah is probably wondering:
How could I not reach them? Did I teach something wrong? Was I not stern enough? Did I not teach something God wanted me to?
How is it possible that I worked and worked on trying to help them, and yet they still refused to listen?
The more Jeremiah thought about it the deeper he sunk into broken heartedness, the more he blamed himself, and the more he doubted his abilities. Therefore, he became ineffective.
Until, God responded:
19 Therefore this is what the Lord says: “If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me;
if you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn to you,
but you must not turn to them. 20 I will make you a wall to this people, a fortified wall of bronze; they will fight against you but will not overcome you,
for I am with you to rescue and save you,” declares the Lord. (Je 15:19-20, NIV)God responded in a big way, and pulled Jeremiah out of his deep pit of despair. He told him to:
- Repent. Are you kidding me? what did he do? He was wallowing in self-pity which is a sin. He was focused on Himself and because of it, his words were worthless.
- Let them come to you. Don't stoop to their level. Don't play their game.
- Be strong. Like a wall. Be an example.
Being broken hearted for people is not a bad thing, but you and I cannot let it deter from doing His work. We should be broken hearted over the people, just not to the extent that it renders us ineffective.
Be strong in the Lord....
Chris
No comments:
Post a Comment