Everyone has difficult days in life. Everyone has some problems and issues to deal with. You may feel sad. You may feel disconnected. Sometimes it looks as though one set of troubles just tumbles right into another, just like a string of dominoes.
Texts: Jeremiah 27:3-10, 31:15
Jeremiah is our “Old Testament guy” today. Jeremiah was a bullfrog… Sorry, couldn’t resist. 🙂 Jeremiah was a prophet who had some seasons of serious doubt. That is part of why he was called the “weeping prophet.”
Unpopular messages
God has called Jeremiah to perform a very difficult task. He had a very hard message to give, and he had to declare it very clearly, so that people would understand the danger that lay ahead.
He has been given the assignment of telling his people that punishment was coming soon (Jeremiah 1:14-17). He knows that this will not be a popular message. The people he was trying to reach with these words were quite content and comfortable in their current circumstances and surroundings. The Israelites felt that their religion made and kept them safe from any harm. They had come to feel, like many, that God belongs to us humans, rather than we to Him. And, because people feel that they own God, He is obliged to take care of them in the manner that they like and have become accustomed to, and to do only as they ask. This state of mind made Jeremiah’s task all the more difficult.
It is a tough job that he is facing, and he begins to feel doubt and spiritual darkness creep into his life. He feels doubt. He feels desperate. He begins to feel personal pain and despair. In this section of Scripture, we do not see him standing in front of the people blasting out God’s message and judgment. He is in fact, crying out to God in dreadful and soul-felt torment.
He can’t even get his head around the fact that he is suffering too. He begins to imagine that perhaps his life and all of his messages have been just a tremendous failure. Then, possibly in his darkest moment, he adds to this the thought that perhaps, just maybe God doesn’t seem to really care about him.
We see a man who has been absolutely loyal to God, faithful to the message of God, and faithful to the process. Jeremiah has survived and overcome a powerful struggle with his enemies, his competitors. So now, he has some inner demons to contend with. He has come face to face with enemies both inside and outside of himself.
This is not Jeremiah, the superman-hero-prophet we expect to see. The Jeremiah we see in these passages is a human being just like any one of us. He is like, a real guy.
Managing Change
How does Jeremiah get through this?
First, he remembers how very great God is/ was/ will be. This is a vital part of the message that he must deliver to the people of Israel.
The second valuable thing was his personal life of prayer. In prayer, people forget that it is not only about asking, but also listening to what God has to say.
Change is hard.
Real Life Application…So What?
Change is hard. When people become comfortable in their functions and dysfunctions, change is almost impossible.
The only constant in the lives we lead is that things and people will continue to change. So, what should we do?
We must stay prepared!
In church parlance, you need to stay “prayed-up.”
In a business sense, you don’t just sit around waiting for magical solutions to drop into your lap. You remain in a state of readiness and anticipation for the next move. That means you take classes. You read blogs, books, and newsletters. You gain new skills, and sharpen the old ones. You work on your elevator pitch, your story, your narrative. You re-connect with your friends and business acquaintances bring them up to speed on your “new stuff.” You network and make new, valuable connections. You demonstrate what you know. In other words, you don’t just sit around waiting.
You can only be prepared and ready for life’s next transformation by continually renewing your minds.
Are you ready for change?
Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/arthurjohnpicton/4383221264/sizes/m/in/photostream/