The word came to Jeremiah from the LORD when King Zedekiah sent to him Pashhur son of Malkijah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. They said, “Inquire now of the LORD for us because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us.” Jeremiah 21:1-2 (NIV)
One day, enemy armies advanced against Jerusalem. King Zedekiah did not know what to do; it truly was a national crisis. So the king called two men, Pashhur and Zephaniah, and sent them to Jeremiah. Why did he do this? He knew Jeremiah had the Word of God.
Jeremiah’s own questions were never answered. There is a sense in which his disappointment was never resolved. Does this mean Jeremiah gave up trusting in the Word of God? Certainly not! Through all his pain, he stands as a man who believes what God said and does what God commands—and that is just about the highest worship anyone can offer.
When Jesus came to the moments of His greatest agony of body and soul, what did He do? He asked the Father, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mat. 27:46). And there was no answer to His question. Yet, He believed and obeyed the Father anyway: “Into your hands I commit my Spirit” (Luke 23:46). And that splintered the gates of hell.
It may well be that the greatest impact of your life will be that when you faced disappointed hopes and shattered dreams, you loved Him still. Just as you believed Him in your pleasure, you chose to believe Him in your pain. Just as you loved Him when He gave, you loved Him when He took away. Just as you obeyed Him in your joy, so you obeyed Him in your disappointment.
You chose to hold the unanswered questions for another day. And at the end of it all you stand as one who believed what God said and obeyed what God commanded.
Do you have unanswered questions today? Are you willing to hold them for another day?
