9 “The heart is more deceitful than all else
And is desperately sick;
Who can understand it?
10 “I, the Lord, search the heart,
I test the [e]mind,
Even to give to each man according to his ways,
According to the [f]results of his deeds.
11 “As a partridge that hatches eggs which it has not laid,
So is he who makes a fortune, but unjustly;
In the midst of his days it will forsake him,
And in [g]the end he will be a fool.”12 A glorious throne on high from the beginning
Is the place of our sanctuary.
13 O Lord, the hope of Israel,
All who forsake You will be put to shame.
Those who turn [h]away on earth will be written down,
Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the Lord.
14 Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed;
Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my praise.
15 Look, they keep saying to me,
“Where is the word of the Lord?
Let it come now!”
16 But as for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd after You,
Nor have I longed for the woeful day;
You Yourself know that the utterance of my lips
Was in Your presence.
17 Do not be a terror to me;
You are my refuge in the day of disaster.
18 Let those who persecute me be put to shame, but as for me, let me not be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed, but let me not be dismayed.
Bring on them a day of disaster,
And crush them with twofold destruction!
There’s a lot going on in this passage, and some of it echoes themes we’ve seen recently. But what stood out to me this morning was in vv. 15-16. Jeremiah has been speaking God’s word to the people, not sure for how long at this point, could be years. And they say, “Hey, you said doom and gloom is coming, so where is it? Why doesn’t God strike us dead right now?”
For Jeremiah’s part, he could have said, “You know, I think you’re right! God hasn’t destroyed you all, so I must be imagining things. I guess God didn’t really call me to be a shepherd.” Instead, he says in v. 16 that he did not hurry, and he certainly isn’t anxious to see God’s judgment. Jeremiah knows it is coming, and it will be plenty soon enough when it does come.
Whether we’re expecting something bad, or needing God’s help in something, it is hard to be patient. We might worry that maybe God hasn’t heard us, or that He doesn’t care about us anymore. Like Jeremiah, we might pray, “let me know be put to shame” or “let me not be dismayed”. Yet throughout this passage there are also reminders that God is our refuge (v. 17) and that He is our salvation, healing and praise (v. 14).
Whatever is going on, God is not ignorant of the facts. Yes, He most definitely invites us to come to Him and tell Him all about it. Pour out your heart, talk to God and let Him know how you feel, no harm in that–and it’s a lot healthier than stewing about why God seems to wait so long! No matter what, remember that God is our hope and security, and He loves us more than we can imagine. Don’t give up on Him, He certainly hasn’t given up on you.