Jeremiah: When God Calls You to Hard ThingsNäide

Day 3: Taking God’s View of Our Circumstances

Jeremiah obeyed God. So why were his pain and reproach unending? Had God forgotten him?

When God responds to Jeremiah’s complaints, he reminds Jeremiah to trust him with the outcome of his obedience. God assures him that justice will come at the right time. He reiterates his displeasure, even saying that if Moses or Samuel were to stand before him, he would not have compassion on the people because their evil was so great. The wicked people would eventually get their judgment day and be dealt what they deserve.

God’s response serves as a reminder that our human view of justice is limited. God sees the great timeline of history. He knows the past, present and future, and his justice acts with a surgical-like precision on that timeline to intervene. We can only understand the part of the timeline on which we happen to have been born and live, and if we are honest, sometimes we cannot even understand that! Our understanding is second-hand knowledge at best. God is omniscient, omnipresent and the great judge of all humanity.

Jeremiah’s complaints and God’s response remind us to trust God in the face of trials and difficulties, even when we are treated unfairly. This doesn’t mean we don’t do anything. No, we continue to be obedient to what God has asked us to do, just like Jeremiah was, but we do so trusting God with the results. While we are not always promised the satisfaction or closure of seeing the fruit of our obedience, we can be assured that one day, justice will come.

In the meantime, we can take our complaints to God and trust that he won’t cast us aside. He will listen and respond. His response may not be what we want to hear, but it will always be the truth and always be for our good.

Are you struggling with understanding why God has not intervened in a particular situation? Are you facing unjust circumstances? How might the Holy Spirit be speaking to you?