In Jeremiah 20:7, the prophet wails,
So he hits this point in his mission where he feels as if the work is so much harder than God had promised, he has been misled, and perhaps like God has hung him out to dry even though he's been faithful. Jeremiah has just been whipped and put in stocks after all.
I know that his accusation could even sound like blasphemy, since it is accusing God of wrong, yet God has recorded it in His Bible, and there is no verses after to say that God punished Jeremiah for saying it.
Now I will reveal a not very well kept secret of the mission field. At a guess, I would have to say that most long term missionaries hit this point, where in their heart they may be disillusioned in their work and wondering if God has given them a vision, promised to go with them and then left them high and dry.
I know there's certainly been times where I have despaired and asked God, 'If you wanted this done, why is it so hard?' As missionaries we already forfeit our comfort zones and normal support networks of having friends and family nearby. Then we do expect that the going will be hard and that this unreached people will not respond quickly - after all, there's a reason why they are still unreached, right? Then on top of that we may deal with financial woes, sudden car breakdowns, deaths or illness in family far away and finally, other Christians or missionaries who do not share the same vision, or perhaps even actively oppose us.
What was the prophet's conclusion? It was looking ahead to see that God is mighty to save.
Jeremiah 20:11 says,
You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceivedPretty strong words to accuse God of deception. That word used for deceived could also be translated as persuaded, duped or enticed. So other versions will say,
you overpowered me and prevailed
I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me. (NIV)
O Lord, you misled me,In that chapter, it seems that the prophet is sick of being mocked by the people he's proclaiming destruction towards, yet he can't stop because the message is like a fire in his heart. He's been doing God's work for a while now, and there has been no repentance from the people, no fruit from his ministry.
and I allowed myself to be misled.
You are stronger than I am,
and you overpowered me.
Now I am mocked every day;
everyone laughs at me. (NLT)
So he hits this point in his mission where he feels as if the work is so much harder than God had promised, he has been misled, and perhaps like God has hung him out to dry even though he's been faithful. Jeremiah has just been whipped and put in stocks after all.
I know that his accusation could even sound like blasphemy, since it is accusing God of wrong, yet God has recorded it in His Bible, and there is no verses after to say that God punished Jeremiah for saying it.
Now I will reveal a not very well kept secret of the mission field. At a guess, I would have to say that most long term missionaries hit this point, where in their heart they may be disillusioned in their work and wondering if God has given them a vision, promised to go with them and then left them high and dry.
I know there's certainly been times where I have despaired and asked God, 'If you wanted this done, why is it so hard?' As missionaries we already forfeit our comfort zones and normal support networks of having friends and family nearby. Then we do expect that the going will be hard and that this unreached people will not respond quickly - after all, there's a reason why they are still unreached, right? Then on top of that we may deal with financial woes, sudden car breakdowns, deaths or illness in family far away and finally, other Christians or missionaries who do not share the same vision, or perhaps even actively oppose us.
What was the prophet's conclusion? It was looking ahead to see that God is mighty to save.
Jeremiah 20:11 says,
But the Lord stands beside me like a great warrior.So the two things to remember in a time like this are a) God can handle it if you tell him your true feelings and b) He always comes through in the end.
Before him my persecutors will stumble.
They cannot defeat me. (NLT)
1 comment:
There seems to be a few examples similar to this in the Bible, the one that comes to mind at the moment is Psalm 77. Again, there's a questioning of God and His 'motives', but an admission by the end that He's God, so He does know best.
Of course, a lot of cultures see argument as an important and constructive way of getting things done. Questioning God isn't really a bad thing, nor accusing Him, the problem comes from refusing to listen to His answers.
Or something.
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