How God Answers His Weary Prophet

I think we forget that those who spoke for God also had questions for God. Jeremiah was not some detached morally perfect completely confident person. He was a man of his age with questions about the world and fairness and God's justice just like many of us. Which brings us to Jeremiah 11.

Jeremiah 12:1 (ESV) Righteous are you, O LORD, when I complain to you; yet I would plead my case before you. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why do all who are treacherous thrive?

That's a question we all can ask, right? Why does God let the wicked prosper? They should be judged for their actions. And the most vile of the wicked in any age are those who pretend to be spiritual. 

Jeremiah 12:2 (ESV) You plant them, and they take root; they grow and produce fruit; you are near in their mouth and far from their heart.

Now for the best part of the chapter and one of my favorite verses in scripture. God's reply begins with a wonderful question for anyone who plans to serve God. 

Jeremiah 12:5 (ESV) “If you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if in a safe land you are so trusting, what will you do in the thicket of the Jordan?

God simply states: "If you can't handle this level of hardship, you aren't ready for what's coming!" Then we get more details. 

Jeremiah 12:6 (ESV) For even your brothers and the house of your father, even they have dealt treacherously with you; they are in full cry after you; do not believe them, though they speak friendly words to you.”

Up to now, the only people hating Jeremiah are his family. Wait till he's rejected by the king of Judah (which will happen). 

What I love about God's response is that He does not coddle His servant. He challenges him! He calls him to see that he can and will face more trouble and persevere through it!

Then the next words of God illuminate something we often forget when it comes to serving Him through the hardships a wicked world will put on us. 

Jeremiah 12:7 (ESV) “I have forsaken my house; I have abandoned my heritage; I have given the beloved of my soul into the hands of her enemies.

Hear God's lament. He's hurting over the lost nature of His people. He does not take sin lightly. It destroys Him. When we work for Him we must remember that THIS is the reality of ministry. We partner with the God who hurts over the world's sin. He is the God who will bear the world's sin and shame on His own shoulders. To serve the Lord is to strive against sin. And sin is everywhere. 

So yes, while Jeremiah has questions of his own, the answer God gives is simple: It will get harder and I'm going to bear the worst of it. This is our God. The God who enters our world and does more than we can imagine for us. And to those who are weary, He understands and answers.