Jeremiah 20:1-18

There is an old song called: “I Never Promised You a Rose Garden.”  Too often believers and ministers of God’s Word believe or act as if they believe that God has promised us that our lives on this earth will be like a bed of roses.  What they fail to remember is that a rose is not only made up of sweet smelling and beautiful, velvet petals but also many sharp thorns.  Jeremiah faces great opposition to the message he proclaims and his task is far from easy.  His example gives us some insight into what the minister of the Gospel will often face as well as how should respond when we discover the thorns on the rose.

PREPARE FOR PERSECUTION FROM MEN: Jeremiah’s message was not received well.  In fact, as a response to what he said the leader of the priest beat him and threw him in stocks for the night.  After what must have been an excruciating night, he was release and told to stop saying such terrible things about the future of the nation.  Besides this form of persecution, he was constantly scoffed at by men and, perhaps the most hurtful trial, his friends abandoned him.  When we follow the Lord and are faithful to proclaim His Word, persecution will come.  Many times it will come from very unexpected places.  It will come from religious leaders, from complete strangers and from our closest friends or even family.  When we proclaim the truth, those who believe lies will level attacks on us.  We must be prepared for this kind of response.

PROCLAIM THE PROPHECY FROM GOD: When Jeremiah was released from his shackles, he continued to boldly proclaim the message he had from God.  The same message that put him in the stocks is what he was preaching when he got out of the stocks.  He would not back down from proclaiming the truth of God’s Word no matter what happened to him.  He affirmed the message of the coming captivity along with a personal prophecy that the priest who afflicted him and all of his family would die in captivity.  The message Jeremiah had in his heart was a burning passion he could not contain or refrain from proclaiming.  As much as he might have been tempted to keep quiet; he simply could not because it was burning in his bones.  The message of the Gospel must become I fire in our soul that we cannot help but proclaim and we must never stop proclaiming it no matter how much persecution and loneliness we face.

POUR OUT YOUR HEART IN PRAYER TO GOD: The ministry of the Gospel can be a very lonely place.  Too often we make it lonelier than God intended because we do not invest in godly friendships the way we should.  However, there may be times when all men will turn against us and we will find ourselves alone.  If that happens we must always remember that we are not alone.  God is with us.  We can pour out our hearts before Him and He will help us, comfort us and give us the strength we need to carry on.  Jeremiah’s pray reveals his genuine relationship with God and his conviction that God knows his heart and thoughts.  His prayers are not prepackaged or pretty, they are simply authentic cries out to God.  He tells God of the problems he faces.  He is open with God about how he feels.  He praises the Lord and declares his confidence in Him and love for Him.  He also complains about his hurts, fears, loneliness and goes so far as to tell God he wishes he were never born.  God know all of these thoughts anyway so we might as well be honest with Him about them.  When we face persecution for proclamation of God’s Word; prayer is our greatest ally.