“The word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long.” Jeremiah 20:8 (NIV)
When Jeremiah was finally released from the stocks, his mind was filled with questions, as the darkness of doubt swept over his soul. In Jeremiah 20, he pours out his complaint to God and vents his disappointed hopes and shattered dreams.
1. I don’t like the message
“Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction” (20:8). Lord, if you had sent me to preach an affirming message, I would have been received gladly, but the crowds will never embrace what you have told me to say.
2. I want to quit
“I will not mention him or speak any more in his name” (20:9). Lord, I want to quit. I want to move out of public life, give up ministry, and go into retirement.
But Jeremiah couldn’t do it. “His word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot” (20:9). God, I can’t live with what you have called me to do and I can’t live without it. It’s not fair! What am I supposed to do?
3. I’m not achieving anything
“Terror on every side” (20:10) was their nickname for Jeremiah, since he was always talking about the terror of the coming judgment. Lord, I’m pouring everything I have into this ministry, but people in this city don’t take me seriously. They just call me names. What a waste of time!
4. I wish I’d never been born
“Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!” (20:14). If I had known that my life was going to be like this, I would rather not have been born.
Have you said (or thought) any of these things? If so, have you poured out your complaint to God? Or are you simply stewing or venting your frustration with others?
