October 9
Jer 12:1-14:10 | PS 79:1-13 | Prov 24:30-34 | 1 Thes 1:1-2:8
The “why God” questions. If we are in a true relationship we all have them. He knows the beginning from the end, we don’t. He knows why we must suffer, we don’t. So, there is nothing wrong with these questions. That is, of course, unless you question the goodness or the fairness of God. Not comprehending why a loved one had to get ill or die is natural. Not being overjoyed at your loss of job, or the ending of your career, makes sense. So, our questions can never start with, “If you were fair”, or “I would never have allowed this or that”, begins with the wrong premise. Being fair, loving, and just, the question is better “What am I to learn with this”, or “What am I to do now in the midst of this situation”.
Notice the correct attitude of the prophet, as we read his question of God in Jeremiah 12:1“Righteous are You, O Lord, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously?” Jeremiah hears from God, that he is to learn perseverance and strength through these trials in 12:5, “ “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, Then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, In which you trusted, they wearied you, Then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?” People all too often miss that God loves them through the trials, as we notice how God refers to His wayward people in 12:7, “ “I have forsaken My house, I have left My heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of My soul into the hand of her enemies.”
But, also notice that Jeremiah does not ask God accusingly, and his heart is pure as he considers those who are misbehaving and mistreating him in 13:17, “But if you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret for your pride; My eyes will weep bitterly And run down with tears, Because the Lord’s flock has been taken captive.”
We will see Habakkuk, a prophet and contemporary of Jeremiah, similarly not understanding and questioning God in Habakkuk 1:2-4. So often, David, in the psalms questions God. We all question one another. The question is whether or not you are truly in a relationship with Him and if you realize that He is God and that we are not. Do we truly see our inadequacies before Him? Just as an earthly father desires the opportunity to listen and mentor their children, God enjoys His relationship with us. May we all respectfully approach our Heavenly Father with our questions, and grow in the process.
Messages from Pastor Lloyd Pulley: