His heart and ears were open.
"Thus the Lord said to me."
Leading up to this moment, we have read about the Lord speaking to Jeremiah in multiple ways more than 60 times. Here in this section of Scripture, we see the Lord using very practical circumstances to communicate deep spiritual truths.
"Thus the Lord said to me"
"And the word of the Lord came to me the second time, saying,"
Now it came to pass after many days that the Lord said to me
"Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying," Jeremiah 13:1, 3, 4, 6
Throughout Jeremiah's life, we see a man with a tender heart toward the people, a willingness to obey the voice of the Lord, and a life made available to hear from Him.
Jeremiah's heart and ears were open to receive the Word of the Lord... and, more importantly, to respond in obedience.
Is your heart open? Are you willing to obey the Lord, regardless of your circumstances?
On this side of heaven, it may have seemed like Jeremiah didn't have much fruit to show for his ministry. The people often rejected his message, and his obedience seemed to make his life more difficult, not less.
But Jeremiah's life was not wasted.
His life is eternally recorded in God's Word. He heard from the Lord. He had a relationship with his Creator. The Lord comforted him, answered his prayers, and walked with him through some incredibly difficult seasons.
Why?
His heart and ears were open.
He was willing to hear from the Lord, and he was willing to obey.
How about you?
Have you neglected giving the Lord space in your life to speak through His Word? When the Lord leads you, are you willing to respond with obedience even when obedience is difficult, inconvenient, or doesn't seem to produce the results you hoped for?
Maybe today is the day to:
Stop.
Listen.
Obey.
A life surrendered to the Lord may not always look fruitful by the world's standards, but faithfulness to Him is never wasted.
-To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.