Saturday, August 19
Faithful and courageous
Scripture: Jeremiah 37-38, Revelation 22
Jeremiah 37:16–17 So Jeremiah was put in prison in a cell in the dungeon in Jonathan’s house. He was kept there for a long time. 17 Then King Zedekiah had him brought to the palace. There he questioned him privately and asked him, “Is there any message from the Lord?” Jeremiah answered, “Yes, there is.” Then he announced, “You will be handed over to the king of Babylon.”
Observation
Jeremiah prophesied that the Babylonians would destroy Jerusalem and exile everyone left alive. In the minds of the king and the soldiers defending the city, this made Jeremiah a traitor, guilty of treason. Many wanted him dead to keep him from discouraging the troops and the people. But the king and a handful of others respected him enough to keep him alive, but in prison or house arrest.
Three times King Zedekiah sought a private meeting with Jeremiah to ask if there was a word from the Lord. Perhaps Zedekiah was hoping that the Lord had changed His mind. But each time Jeremiah repeated the same word that God had spoken: the city will be destroyed and you will taken captive.
I admire Jeremiah’s faithfulness and courage. He was faithful to speak God’s word even when it meant imprisonment and the threat of death. He never compromised or changed the message. He spoke the same word over and over. And he was courageous because being faithful also meant being arrested, imprisoned and possibly killed. It didn’t matter—he continued to speak truth to power even when changing his tune could have saved his life.
Application
Be faithful. Be courageous. Do what Jesus says, say what Jesus says no matter the response or the cost.
It can be tempting to hedge your bets, to compromise to save your skin or to save face. I’ve been a people-pleaser at times when I should have been concerned with pleasing the Lord.
Do the right thing. Speak the truth. Do it faithfully and courageously and leave the results with God.
Prayer: Lord, I love You. Help me today to be faithful and courageous. I’m also praying that You help our firefighters control the big blazes in our area.