“Cursed be the day when I was born; Let the day not be blessed when my mother bore me!” (v.14)
Jeremiah has been called “the weeping prophet.” He may have had a sensitive disposition that was compounded by his heartbreak over God’s judgment on disobedient Israel. His capacity for sorrow was endless as exhibited here: “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night!” (Jer. 9:1)
As if sorrow for his nation were not enough, Jeremiah was constantly persecuted for his prophetic message of judgment. In one instance, Jeremiah was imprisoned in a cistern filled with mire (Jer. 38:6). Such opposition to his ministry had gotten the great prophet stuck in a place of despair. Scripture bears out that God’s servants were sometimes so disappointed that they wished they had never been born. Job felt this way. Elijah did, too.
In today’s passage Jeremiah curses the day he was born. These are not the words of a backslider or someone with a shallow faith, but completely the opposite. His painful lament is a reminder that true worship is not a matter of putting on our best clothes and our Sunday smiles as we mouth pious words that we do not really mean. True worship is a matter of fearlessly approaching the throne of grace and bringing with us all our doubts, distress, our struggles, and our hard questions to God.
Like Jeremiah, Pastors today are on the front lines of all the struggles within their congregations. They see themselves as the responsible party to God for their flock. Which in some instances is true especially as far as teaching is concerned. But, just as God's people rejected the warnings of His prophets then, so congregants today often times reject similar warnings which can be internalized by the messenger.
Therefore, pray for your pastors for they are God’s mouthpieces as well. They carry with them the great responsibility of speaking His truth no matter the cost to themselves. And like the weeping prophet, they can also despair – for they are flesh and blood, and open to the attack.
The Truth: “But those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
Jeremiah has been called “the weeping prophet.” He may have had a sensitive disposition that was compounded by his heartbreak over God’s judgment on disobedient Israel. His capacity for sorrow was endless as exhibited here: “Oh, that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night!” (Jer. 9:1)
As if sorrow for his nation were not enough, Jeremiah was constantly persecuted for his prophetic message of judgment. In one instance, Jeremiah was imprisoned in a cistern filled with mire (Jer. 38:6). Such opposition to his ministry had gotten the great prophet stuck in a place of despair. Scripture bears out that God’s servants were sometimes so disappointed that they wished they had never been born. Job felt this way. Elijah did, too.
In today’s passage Jeremiah curses the day he was born. These are not the words of a backslider or someone with a shallow faith, but completely the opposite. His painful lament is a reminder that true worship is not a matter of putting on our best clothes and our Sunday smiles as we mouth pious words that we do not really mean. True worship is a matter of fearlessly approaching the throne of grace and bringing with us all our doubts, distress, our struggles, and our hard questions to God.
Like Jeremiah, Pastors today are on the front lines of all the struggles within their congregations. They see themselves as the responsible party to God for their flock. Which in some instances is true especially as far as teaching is concerned. But, just as God's people rejected the warnings of His prophets then, so congregants today often times reject similar warnings which can be internalized by the messenger.
Therefore, pray for your pastors for they are God’s mouthpieces as well. They carry with them the great responsibility of speaking His truth no matter the cost to themselves. And like the weeping prophet, they can also despair – for they are flesh and blood, and open to the attack.
The Truth: “But those who wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31)
