Feast or famine.
A drought had come upon the land. Consider where Israel had come from: once a powerful nation, they had divided into two kingdoms, and now captivity was on the horizon. Jeremiah describes the severity of the drought:
"...For there was no rain in the land, The plowmen were ashamed; They covered their heads. Yes, the deer also gave birth in the field, But left because there was no grass. And the wild donkeys stood in the desolate heights; They sniffed at the wind like jackals; Their eyes failed because there was no grass."" Jeremiah 14:4-6
So, what do they do? They call out to the Lord in their time of trouble:
"Do not abhor us, for Your name's sake; Do not disgrace the throne of Your glory. Remember, do not break Your covenant with us." Jeremiah 14:21
Jerusalem is crying out to the Lord. The verses above are only a glimpse of their pleading throughout this chapter.
But here's the problem: they were calling on God when things were falling apart, but they had ignored Him when things were going well.
During times of prosperity and comfort, Israel turned away from the Lord. They worshiped false gods and followed the desires of their own hearts. But when trouble came, they suddenly cried out to Him.
How about you and me? Are we guilty of doing the same thing?
Do we only call out to the Lord when times are tough? When we need something? When we've run out of options?
Our relationship with Jesus shouldn't be one-sided. We shouldn't only talk to Him when we're desperate. Our hearts, our lives, our thoughts, our joys, and even our struggles should continually be brought before Him.
How incredible is it that the God of the universe wants to hear from you?
We might get excited about the opportunity to talk with one of our heroes. Yet the greatest Hero, Jesus, has opened the door for us to come to Him at any time, about anything.
Whether feast or famine, we should be talking to the Lord.
He's listening. You talking?
-To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.