I started reading Jeremiah a week or two back (before I started writing again for the blog). The first chapter hit me pretty hard – personally. If I had been able to write I probably could have had several posts on verses that have weighed on me. But maybe we just start with where I am now.
I answered,
“Who would listen
if I spoke to them and warned them?
Their ears are so closed
that they cannot hear!
Indeed, what the LORD says is offensive to them.
They do not like it at all.
I am as full of anger as you are, LORD,
I am tired of trying to hold it in.”Jeremiah 6:10-11a
This is a question that plagues me more than it should: Who would listen? The morning I read this I was praying for a few people that I have never met. People that are dear to two sisters in my life. Praying that God would by His grace open their ears to the gospel. I am powerless, not only in the instance of these individuals but in the lives of those I know personally as well.
God’s grace saves and as I pray desperately for people each morning and throughout the day I know that He will be faithful to save His elect. Even when I get despondent like Jeremiah and cry out “who would listen” I know I must continue to walk forward. I must continue to share the news and strive for a holy life.
That same morning I was reading Acts 26 and verse 29 is highlighted in my Bible.
Paul replied, “I pray to God that whether in a short or a long time not only you but also all those who are listening to me today could become such as I am, except for these chains.”
Acts 26:29
I have to remember that sometimes God’s plan is in the long term and not in the short. This is not easy because many times I want to see results now. And I struggle to see people in my life who are growing when I do not see results in the people I want to see results in the most. I cry out in anger – why don’t you change their hearts Lord! Alas, God’s plan is not necessarily my plan. So I to just need to pray that whether in a short or a long time that all these people would become such as I – saved by the grace of God.