After reluctantly responding to the Lord’s call, the prophet Jeremiah dedicated 40 years of devoted service to the Lord. In all those years no one responded. Those who even bothered to listen scoffed and ridiculed him. He was persecuted, imprisoned, beaten and according to tradition was eventually stoned to death.
Cue the swirling sands of time and the words, “2600 years later…”
A deeply distressed and disoriented believer whose faith had been torpedoed and was sinking fast, pondered his uncertain future. Just at the point of despair, a lifeboat appeared, consisting of these words…
“Thus says the Lord, ‘Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares the Lord.”
I am that believer, and those words are from the book of Jeremiah, (9:23-24). They were just what I needed, not only to be rescued from that specific situation, but they set the course for the rest of my life.
Jeremiah did not serve for the outward returns. He served simply to honor His God. Though he died without seeing any impact from his service, myriads of believers have been inspired, encouraged and strengthened by the words of Jeremiah. He was a sterling example of serving by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). May we all be so blessed by our God to follow his example.
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