Week 28
Jeremiah 5:14 “I am making My words in your mouth fire and this people wood, and it will consume them.”
This godly prophet seeks to fulfil his ministry by faithfully proclaiming the Word of the Lord to the people. But they refuse to listen and be corrected; they make their faces harder than rock, and they refuse to repent (vs. 3). They are foolish and senseless people who have no eyes to see or ears to hear God’s Word (vs. 21). They are a stubborn people, rebellious, and they have departed from the Lord (vs. 23).
The faithful prophet seeks time and time again to steadfastly and patiently give the truth to God’s people, a truth that will heal them and bring them back to the God of their covenant and calling. But they reject the message, and they reject the messenger.
The prophet endures with much difficulty these circumstances. The work to which God has called him feels futile, and the people to whom God has called him makes his life miserable.
And yet, we see a wonderful promise that God gives to Jeremiah. God says, “I am making My words in your mouth fire and this people wood, and it will consume them.” The message will eventually strike home, and the power of the Lord will accomplish the intended purpose of the message in the hearts of the people.
So many godly Christian pastors, Bible teachers, and leaders relate on a personal level to Jeremiah’s plight. They often do not find receptivity with the people, and they find that they are pressed, criticized, and rejected in the work of the Lord.
If you are a servant of the Lord in the Lord’s work, glean these helpful and encouraging parts of God’s message to Jeremiah. First, God knows. One of the worst aspects of having trouble in the work of the Lord is LONELINESS. Loneliness is that feeling that no one understands what you are going through, and no one shares tender compassion for you. The servant of the Lord comes to believe that he or she is totally alone in Christ’s field of service, and there is none to share the load and give sympathy and loving care. But Jeremiah found out that God was with him. God knew exactly what Jeremiah was going through, and God understood exactly the truth of the situation. What a blessing this is! Second, God Himself will make sure that HIS WORD WOULD ACCOMPLISH GOD’S PURPOSE. In this case, the Word of God would judge the people; the Word of God would correct the people. The day would assuredly come when the rubbish and trash of sin in the hearts of the people would be burned up by the Word of the Lord. So many ministers, preachers, Bible teachers, and Christian leaders have been tempted to think that God’s Word went forth void, failing to bring about God’s holy will. But this is the weakness of our limited perception. God will make sure that His Word accomplishes His will; this is a certainty on which we can count. Let every servant of the Lord trust fully in the Lord for his or her ministry. The work of the Lord will be done, and the will of the Lord will be done in His way and in His time.
Prayer: Dear Lord, I am struggling because I do not see the fruit that I desire through my work for You. Please help me to remember that Your Word will truly accomplish Your work. Help me to trust You that my life will not have been lived in vain.
