ODJ: righteous risks
March 12, 2011
I will take care of you, Jeremiah. Your enemies will ask you to plead on their behalf in times of trouble and distress. (v.11).
READ: Jeremiah 15:10-21
Although I’ve been walking with God for decades, I admit that I sometimes still question Him. While I’ve learned not to blame Him for things I now recognize as Satan’s handiwork, there are still moments when my faith is weak and I wonder if He really cares.
It’s been helpful to see in the Bible examples of God’s servants going through their own times of questioning Him. One of the most dramatic examples occurred in the life of the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah. God called him as a teenager to go and warn his fellow people of His impending judgment. Knowing Jeremiah would encounter strong resistance, God encouraged him not to be afraid of the people, and promised His presence and protection (Jeremiah 1:5-19; 15:11).
Strong resistance is exactly what Jeremiah found as he spoke God’s message. His countrymen treated him like a joke and he was hated wherever he went (15:10). They physically tortured him and at one point left him for dead in a pit (38:6). Even Jeremiah’s family abandoned him (12:6).
As time went on, the disillusioned prophet said to God, “Lord, you know what’s happening to me. Please step in and help me. . . . Your help seems as uncertain as a seasonal brook, like a spring that has gone dry” (Jeremiah 15:15,18). Later, Jeremiah would flat-out accuse God of deceiving him and blame Him for all of his troubles (20:7-8). But in the midst of calling God out, something unlikely happened within Jeremiah. As much as he tried to forget God, the more he realized he couldn’t deny Him (v.9).
Having doubts about God? Go ahead and tell Him. It won’t surprise Him or change His love for you. But, as it did for Jeremiah, it just might change what you think about Him. —Jeff Olson
How have you been questioning God’s presence and work in your life? What gives you hope in God’s reality?
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