LIVING IN THE MIDST OF FRUSTRATION

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?”

“Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people. Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people.”

“They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge Me,” declares the Lord.

“Beware of your friends; do not trust anyone in your clan. For every one of them is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer. Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning. You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge Me,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 8:21-22, 9:1-6

This ends today’s reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Jeremiah experienced emotions I can relate to today. For despite His best efforts to do what he could to bring the Israelites into a closer, more obedient relationship with God, they decided to go their own way and follow their own will, a will that led them to be unfaithful to God in their worship practices. This inclination to sinfulness in full sight of God frustrated the prophet and left him feeling isolated, a righteous and holy man of God living in the midst of deceivers and evildoers.

We know Jeremiah’s feelings because he expresses them openly in the closing verses of Jeremiah, Chapter 8, and the opening verses of Chapter 9. Look again at his words here:

“Since my people are crushed, I am crushed; I mourn, and horror grips me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then is there no healing for the wound of my people?”

“Oh, that my head were a spring of water and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night for the slain of my people. Oh, that I had in the desert a lodging place for travelers, so that I might leave my people and go away from them; for they are all adulterers, a crowd of unfaithful people.”

“They make ready their tongue like a bow, to shoot lies; it is not by truth that they triumph in the land. They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge Me,” declares the Lord.

“Beware of your friends; do not trust anyone in your clan. For every one of them is a deceiver, and every friend a slanderer. Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning. You live in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge Me,” declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 8:21-22, 9:1-6

Note here that the prophet was going through an inner struggle.

On one hand, he felt compassion for his fellow Israelites. He didn’t adopt an attitude that believed the Israelites got what they had coming to them like he was so much better or self righteous. No, they were crushed in spirit by the judgment that was coming upon them. They had disrespected and disregarded God, worshipping false gods and idols in direct violation of His commands and now they would pay the price for their actions. There would be no healing for God’s people, only suffering through the consequences that come out of a willingness to sin openly against the Lord. Because of this, Jeremiah was left to weep and mourn for his fellow countrymen.

But that weeping and mourning was laced with other emotions as well, emotions that marked the deep frustration Jeremiah felt against his brother and sister Israelites, a frustration that would lead him to desire isolation rather than fellowship with them.

We know this because Jeremiah says that he would rather be in a lodging place in the desert, far away from the Israelites that with them. He then gave the reason why he desired the separation and seclusion:

The Israelites had become adulterers, unfaithful to God through their worshipping of false god and idols. God summed it up well in the words following Jeremiah’s lament when He said:

“They go from one sin to another; they do not acknowledge Me. They weary themselves with sinning.”

This attitude will get someone in trouble with God ten times out of ten and the people of God had certainly placed themselves where they needed and deserved judgment, something we know they received.

So that’s brings us to present day. Did I mention I can relate to Jeremiah and his emotions?

For we are a people not all that different from the Old Testament Israelites. Maybe we’re even worse.

People today still seem to incline themselves toward disobedience and sin. They still choose to want their will and way instead of allowing God’s will and way to be their own. They still decide to give their devotion to the things of the world vice to God, the One who has given them all things. And despite all my best efforts to share the word of God and minister through that word and the Holy Spirit who guides me in all I do, I find myself frustrated that people remain so rebellious and noncompliant when it comes to God and His expectations for the way we are to live.

Indeed, it’s not easy living in the midst of frustration because of the blatant unfaithfulness and sinfulness found in many of the people of God but I and others who work for the cause of the Lord must press on. Isolating ourselves is not the answer. Rather, we need to be even stronger in our resolve to carry on what the Lord has called us to do, drawing from His strength and power when the work seems fruitless and our feelings turn toward aggravation.

In the end translation, the Lord is always going to have His way. We can either be for Him or against Him.

Where do you stand?

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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