Jeremiah 32:2-3
2 For then the king of Babylon’s army besieged Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the prison, which was in the king of Judah’s house. 3 For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, “Why do you prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it;
Jeremiah is also known as the weeping prophet. This was a man who had a tender heart, and he was faithful to proclaim the hard word that God had given him. It is this very word that caused him to be thrown into prison. He had boldly prophesied that the city would be taken over by the king of Babylon.
God’s ways are higher than our ways, and we must always remember that God has a mission and nothing will derail it. In the midst of God’s mission being unfolded, we do find ourselves in uncomfortable circumstances just like Jeremiah did, but it does not mean that God has forsaken us. When we become so fixated with the happenings around us, then we lose the big picture to recognize that God is at work around us, in us and through us.
There will be times when we follow God’s instructions but end up in trouble, and that can be a confusing place to be in. Some have given up on their faith because of such situations, only because they had the false notion that when we walk in obedience to God, then all will be smooth.
For Jeremiah, though he did not have the full understanding of what God was doing, the prison became a place of communion with God. The dark seasons in our life can act as a trigger to get us closer to God, or they could drive us away from him, it all depends on our attitude and trust in God.
Just as with Joseph, Jeremiah’s prison experience was in line with God’s purposes being fulfilled and though in prison, God still used him to declare what was to come.
Are you in a prison for doing the right thing? Does it seem like God has abandoned you? Well, let me remind you that all things work together for good to them who love God and are called according to his purpose.
Reflections
- Has God ever given you a hard message to declare? Did you do it?
- When have you ever been reprimanded for doing the right thing? How was your attitude through the process?
- Do you look at circumstances at face value or do you look at them with Gods mission in mind?
