Day 303
Prayer for the day
Send out your light and your truth, that they may lead me, and bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.
Scripture for the day
It can be hard to have something tough to say to people. The bearer of bad news is rarely treated well, particularly if that bad news pertains to the way someone else is living and concerns their moral compass. It’s doubly difficult if the message comes from someone else who has chosen you to speak difficult words.
Jeremiah knew that God’s call on his life wouldn’t be easy, but it’s hard to imagine how difficult he thought it would be. When push comes to shove, Jeremiah ends up not having very many friends and supporters. Instead, Jeremiah is opposed at every turn. His message is unpopular and is contradicted by false prophets who speak comfortable words, words designed to please men rather than to please the God who actually speaks.
Jeremiah recognizes that he can’t stop speaking because the passion for the things of God will consume him like a fire if he doesn’t speak, but he’s tired of being opposed and seeing his people following falsity.
Paul, likewise, suffers significant opposition to his message because it is a difficult message to accept. He encounters suffering, persecution, and eventual death because of the message of the Good News that God has called him to speak, but throughout his letters Paul rejoices in the calling to which he’s been called. He urges Timothy to do the same, to fear no opposition or struggle, knowing that the rightness and righteousness of what he’s doing will be revealed in the harvest that is collected from the planting of the Gospel. God continues to be good, and Paul, Jeremiah, Timothy, and we have a responsibility to witness to that goodness, regardless of the consequences.
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