Lamentations 3 shows us Jeremiah’s heart: “The thought of my suffering and homelessness is bitter beyond words. In the midst of lamenting his incredible loss, we see Jeremiah recall the faithfulness of God’s mercies to him. Kings, priests, and other prophets alike all came against him, yet Jeremiah pressed on, determined to accomplish what God had asked of him, no matter the opposition.Īnd where did Jeremiah find the strength to proceed, undaunted in the face of adversity and widespread devastation? I wouldn’t define him as a hopeless optimist by any stretch of the imagination, but he had something in him that was far more powerful: he had hope in God. He faced obstacle after obstacle as he tried to get God’s message out to the people. However, do not think of Jeremiah as weak or resigned to his fate just because he was passionate about his city, his people, and his God. To most Bible scholars, Jeremiah is known as the “Weeping Prophet,” and he certainly did his share of crying, there is no doubt (see entire book of Lamentations).
Jeremiah could not be swayed from this assignment, no matter the obstacles or distractions. No, he was sent to God’s people to warn them of the impending disaster and to tell them about God’s hopes for redemption of His people once they turned their hearts back to Him. Yet Jeremiah knew that God had not sent him to protect Jerusalem or the crown jewel of Jerusalem, its Temple. After all, it certainly appeared that God was losing, if anyone was keeping score. For someone who was so heavily invested in his relationship with God, this disaster could have had catastrophic results on Jeremiah’s goals. Yet the going wasn’t easy, and things only seemed to get worse, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and with it, the Temple, by Israel’s enemies (see Jeremiah 52:12-13). Jeremiah, a prophet of God around 627–580 BC, certainly had a big goal, an assignment from God to turn the hearts of God’s people back to Him. I know you’d gladly take my word on this, but you don’t have to today. The quote simply reads, “By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination.” I loved it the moment I first laid eyes on it, but after some thoughtful consideration and study, I like it all the more.įor one thing, it has me phrasing my sentences in far more profound a manner, as in the statement, “I like it all the more.” For another thing, it is Biblically sound, ringing true with the doctrine of Scripture.
I came across a fascinating quote this week that lent credibility to my hopelessly optimistic viewpoint of life.
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