Realness to surrender.
Jeremiah had been faithfully sharing the Word of the Lord with the people for years now. He continued to speak difficult words that fell on hardened hearts.
Pashhur heard Jeremiah's prophecies, assaulted him, and put him in the stocks because he did not like the message Jeremiah proclaimed. On the other side of this, Jeremiah was weary from the verbal and physical opposition he had endured. He was honest about his struggle, even as the Lord continued to use him to warn Jerusalem of the judgment that was coming.
Jeremiah writes: "Then I said, "I will not make mention of Him, Nor speak anymore in His name." But His word was in my heart like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; I was weary of holding it back, And I could not." Jeremiah 20:9
With the opposition Jeremiah faced, being faithful was difficult. The struggle was real. He wanted to stop. Yet God's Word could not be silenced within him. Despite his weariness, Jeremiah surrendered to the Lord and continued in obedience.
We may not face the physical persecution Jeremiah experienced. We may not be called to speak difficult words to a nation. But we will face our own struggles, fears, and inward battles when it comes to faithfully following Christ.
And we are still called to share as the Lord leads.
There will be struggles, no matter who you are. There will be moments when obedience is uncomfortable, when people may not understand, or when we simply feel weary. But the question remains: Will you be obedient?
Every believer is called to make Christ known. We do this in how we live, in the words we speak, and in the opportunities the Lord gives us each day.
We have a story to tell, not merely our own story, but His story: His redemption, truth, grace, and transforming work He has done in us.
Don't allow fear, opposition, or weariness to keep you from obedience.
The question isn't whether the struggle will come. It will.
The question is whether, when it does, you will surrender.
-To Know Jesus. To Live on Mission.