Five Invitations - Day 8

DAY 8 - A Fire in My Bones
Jeremiah 20:7-9

Prayer is a back-and-forth, just like any other relationship. God speaks but we have to answer. But when Jeremiah hears he’s got God’s attention, he says in v.6, “'Alas, Sovereign Lord,’ I said, ‘I do not know how to speak; I am too young.'"

“Alas.” That’s a mild protest, isn’t it? It’s more like, “AAGHH!” It’s shock, it’s grief, it’s honesty. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6, “Be honest when you pray.”

Jeremiah lives it. This is the first in a long life of honest prayers. God’s about to give Jeremiah hard work delivering bad news. “Tell my people, Jeremiah, that the enemy is coming. Tell them there’s nothing they can do to stop it. Tell them to surrender to survive.”

Nobody wants that bad news. Priests and kings call him a false prophet while the real false prophets promise everything will be ok. Rejected and broken, Jeremiah pours out his hurt to God - praying, praying, always praying.

Who do you talk to when feeling rejected and heartbroken? Jeremiah always turns to God, even when he doesn’t feel good about God. Jeremiah 20 is one of the Bible’s most honest prayers. “You lied to me, God!” Even so, Jeremiah can’t hold back talking about, and talking to, God. “God’s word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones” (20:9).

What kind of God must we have who invites us over, knowing we might talk like that? What kind of God lets us in the house, knowing we might throw a tantrum or just need a good cry? That’s the God who wants to talk to you every day.

REFLECT:
How does knowing God welcomes your honesty affect your picture of God?

PRAY:
Thank you, Father, for welcoming honesty. You love me even when I feel rejected and heartbroken. You love me even when I'm frustrated with you. Help me turn to you no matter how i feel. Amen.