Ruthanne Giordano On Why Jeremiah is a Source of Comfort
Jeremiah is a book full of prophecy and peril. But Jeremiah also has a beautiful message of hope and comfort. It's one of my favorite books, providing peace on difficult days. For those of you who don't know, our daughter is very sick with two types of active Lupus (there are four types in all), and another rare autoimmune disease, Autoimmune Encephalitis.
The book of Jeremiah is my go-to, frequently.
And since everyone, sooner or later, has difficult days, I thought this might be a boost to those who need it now, and a help for those who need it later on.
You may wonder (!) why this particular book provides such comfort? First, let’s get to know Jeremiah better. (That sure did help me.)
Jeremiah was:
a single man, sent to warn a nation
amazingly faithful in his mission
a priest - his father, the High Priest Hilkiah, found the book of the Law (2 Ch 34:14) that Josiah read and implemented, and therefore Jeremiah was
a man of distinction - throughout the country
Jeremiah was also afraid. And he had VERY good reason to be, with the violence which became so common. Even people from his hometown, a city of Levites, plotted to kill him! (Jer 11: 21)
Now, one of the priests' jobs was to teach the people - something Jeremiah worked tirelessly at, despite the backlash he received. He tried to get the people to listen to what God wanted. He tried to warn them about the punishment that was coming. He tried to tell them what to do to stay safe from the coming devastation. Jeremiah did everything he possibly could. But his message fell on deaf ears.
It was agonizing seeing the faithlessness of the nation, knowing full well the judgments that were coming, and things got frightening more than once for Jeremiah.
However God had everything under control. And God watched over Jeremiah in a very loving way, even though it often didn't seem like it to Jeremiah. Often, all Jeremiah got for his efforts was trouble. And the more he tried, the worse things got. Jeremiah was often left bewildered. What was going on?
The way Jeremiah coped with his disasters was to go in his steadfast faith, and bring his sorrow to the Almighty, asking why. And when God answered, unending amounts of compassion, love, and care came pouring out. God's replies to Jeremiah's “why” questions are beautiful. God constantly reassured Jeremiah. Take Jeremiah 32:16-44 for example.
Jeremiah begins the passage by reciting all God told him to do, which made absolutely no sense to Jeremiah, but which he did anyway, and finishes his prayer by expressing utter bewilderment, saying essentially, "I really don't get this." God answers by reframing the situation and reminding Jeremiah, "Is there anything too hard for me?" Note: it's not a condemnation. In fact, if you go on to verses 37 to the end, they positively glow with the goodness God has planned for His people; a reassurance for Jeremiah that all really is well, despite appearances.
So when we are scared and struggling we can go, in complete faith (this is really important), and take our sorrow or fear to the Almighty, ask why or say we don’t understand, and ask for help dealing with what’s happening.
I've heard often it's wrong to ask God why. But what I found doing the readings was, there were a lot of Bible characters who asked why (for example, Moses in Num 11:11, and David throughout the Psalms, Ps 42:9 being two examples). The ones who asked with a heart full of faith were answered in a beautiful way. And in Jeremiah's case, the answer was the same as a loving father would answer and comfort a frightened child.
So when I'm bewildered, stressed, or don't understand what's going on, I cast my cares upon the Lord, make certain I have a heart full of faith, and bring my cares to the feet of the Almighty. "I don't understand, but I trust you," is something I say often. It worked beautifully for Jeremiah. It brings me peace and comfort.
It brings me peace and comfort because we read about how scared and confused Jeremiah was, and we read about how God loved Jeremiah, heard Jeremiah, and really did take care of Jeremiah - even when Jeremiah couldn't always see it in the short term.
So consider Jeremiah. When things looked the worst, God was in control. When Jeremiah cried out, God heard him, and when Jeremiah was confused and full of sorrow, God essentially took Jeremiah in His arms and reassured him.
That same God still acts today.
He hasn't changed.
He cares for us the same way.
Share Jeremiah's message of comfort with someone who needs it today.
Ruthanne and Alan Giordano are Section Leaders for FaithLaunch starting this Fall. To find out more check out https://wcfoundation.org/faithlaunch