‘Let me witness the vengeance you take on them, Lord, for to you I have entrusted my cause!’ (Jeremiah 11)
It’s not easy being a prophet. Jeremiah was a very young man – perhaps just a teenager – when he felt God call him to proclaim to the Hebrew people that they had broken their covenant with God.
Jeremiah’s words were harsh: ‘Because of their disobedience, because of their stubbornness, because they have worshipped other gods, disaster will come upon them. God will no longer listen when they cry out.’
Like many of the prophets both before and after him, Jeremiah’s words were not always appreciated. Political and religious leaders saw him as a threat to their comfortable way of life. As a result, Jeremiah suffered greatly. He was imprisoned, beaten, and persecuted on more than one occasion.
But the key was that he listened to the voice of God, and he had the courage to go forth and do what the Lord asked of him, and through all that he said and did, indeed, through his very life, he sought to bring people closer to the Lord.
As we conclude our 4th week of Lent and enter the final third of this most holy season, we would do well to spend some time examining just how well we are listening to the voice of the Lord speaking to us. What is He asking of us? What is He saying to us? How well we are doing what He is asking of us. Do our lives serve to lead others closer to the Lord?
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