August 20, 2019
Scripture Reading: Jeremiah 1:4-10
Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth; and the Lord said to me,
‘Now I have put my words in your mouth.
See, today I appoint you over nations and over kingdoms,
to pluck up and to pull down,
to destroy and to overthrow,
to build and to plant.’ –Jeremiah 1:9-10
Following the standard that if an action does not pass the test of love it is not of God is my primary means of differentiated what is of God and what is not. The hard part is discerning what is love in a world that uses the word loosely and in a world that modifies love with words like tough. Much time spent communing with God about what constitutes love in each situation is often required and many times I lean heavily into the observation of Paul found in Romans 8:26-27:
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.
I do not use the word tough related to love, although I do believe that we all must face the consequences of our own actions. In the stories of God throughout the Bible that seems to describe God’s relationship with God’s people when they failed to heed the warnings of the prophets even to being taken into exile.
I say all that as preparation for understanding Jeremiah’s call to be the mouth of God and even more to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant. To some degree all followers of Christ are called to deal with the absence of love in a variety of situations that some call evil. A daunting task in any circumstances. I am reminded of a hymn written during World War II that shares good advice:
In times like these, we need a Savior
In times like these, we need an anchor
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock
This Rock is Jesus, Yes, He’s the one
This Rock is Jesus, The only One
Be very sure, be very sure
Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock
Prayer: Lord, expand our understanding of your love so that we can better discern our work for you in our world today. Amen.
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.