Jeremiah 15:16 (NLT) When I discovered your words, I devoured them. They are my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, O Lord God of Heaven’s Armies.
I find this scripture to be beautiful and poetic. I too find such delight in the Lord’s words and am thrilled that the Lord calls me His child.
I think, however, the reason this scripture is not quoted often is that Jeremiah says this right after he told the Lord it would have been better for him never to have been born. But how many of us can also relate to that?
I think we have all had a bad day, bad week, or a bad year and wonder what is going on. We grow weary in circumstances where it seems like we are always climbing uphill. And in dramatic fashion, we wonder why God placed us in these particular circumstances at this time.
And to be truthful, sometimes we feel sorry for ourselves.
Jeremiah definitely felt that way. He was a priest whom the Lord used as a prophet to warn the Israelites of their impending exile to Babylon as a repayment for the evil they were committing. The problem was that even though God specifically chose Jeremiah for this job, he also warned Jeremiah that the Israelites were not going to listen to him.
How would you like a job where the Lord tells you ahead of time you won’t be successful? I don’t see many of us signing up for that particular calling.
Jeremiah had been set apart for the Lord. These were God’s words to Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 1:5 (NLT) “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
That, in and of itself, is an honor. However, Jeremiah still had to live day in and day out among his persecutors. He still had to be among them when they wouldn’t listen to him and hated him for telling them what the Lord said.
Jeremiah had to choose what he loved more. The acceptance of the people or what he knew God had called him to. Jeremiah was obedient to the Lord, but we know by Jeremiah’s own admission some days were extremely difficult.
Sometimes we think that if God has called us to something, it will be smooth sailing. When we bump up against resistance, or we run into people who don’t like us or what we have to say, we wonder if we made a wrong turn or a bad decision.
I know I have definitely felt that way. I feel like the Lord has called me to do something, and I step out in obedience, and it is difficult.
Our paths are not always smooth and straight. Sometimes we are the pioneers out there walking through a forest with a machete, blazing a trail for others and for future generations we will never meet.
But then we have to look at the people who were willing to go before us and helped blaze a trail for us, and remember that no matter how wonderful their life looks, their trailblazing also had a cost. Not all days were easy for them, either.
If you read through the book of Jeremiah, the Lord has some beautiful words for him about protecting and caring for him.
I think that is why I like this scripture in Jeremiah 15:16. Jeremiah knows that his life truly belongs to the Lord. He values what God says and knows that it is his life source. And he loves that his name is attached to God’s name.
Everything we have is because of God. The very fact that we are breathing is because of God’s grace. He loves us so much. He takes delight in us. He longs for us to also delight in Him and what He says because He knows that is where our joy and strength come from.
Spend time today meditating and delighting in Him! If what He has called you to is hard, keep going. Don’t stop or give up just because you hit a few speed bumps. He has great plans and a beautiful future for you, and He loves to partner with you.
