Articles
Person Of The Week: Jeremiah
Jeremiah was a young man when called by God as a prophet, so young that he balked at the enormous responsibility (Jer. 1:6). But God reassured him by promising His power and protection:
"I have set you this day over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant. ... I have made you this day a fortified city and an iron pillar. ... They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you," says the Lord, "to deliver you" (Jer. 1:10, 18-19).
With such a description, we might assume that Jeremiah’s life would be one success after another, filled with triumph and victory. But we would be wrong. From a human standpoint, Jeremiah’s life looked the opposite: falsely accused, beaten, jailed, threatened within an inch of his life.
At times Jeremiah was frightened, frustrated and forlorn, but he kept on preaching the message God told him to preach. And through it all, his life was spared and he lived to see his words vindicated.
These were hard times: Jeremiah lived through a horrible siege and the dissolution and deportation of his wayward Israelite brethren. But the life of this great prophet is one of humble trust and dogged determination to carry out God’s will no matter the consequences. May we all possess such unwavering faith.
