Later, King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and had him brought to the third entrance of the Temple of God. The king said to Jeremiah, “I’m going to ask you something. Don’t hold anything back from me.” Jeremiah said, “If I told you the whole truth, you’d kill me. And no matter what I said, you wouldn’t pay any attention anyway.” Jeremiah 38:14-15

We often say how we wish we knew the truth — that ambiguity is where we suffer the most. Kids at the doctor’s office worry far more about the shot they’re going to get than the shot they actually get. But, sometimes the shot DOES hurt as much or more than we anticipate. The truth, can be difficult, sometimes so difficult we deny it altogether.

Jeremiah, the prophet, has been telling the truth to God’s people throughout his life. Generally, he winds up beaten, attacked or thrown in jail not for ambiguity, not for vagaries about the mystery of God. He’s punished for revealing God’s truth to God’s obstinate people.

Whether it’s medical results, relational conflict, or news about work that might not be positive, I tend to run. Sometimes I deny. Other times I question the veracity of the findings (whatever they may be), or the integrity of the source, itself. I find myself doing this more often than not with God himself. My own response to whatever not so comfortable thing to which God might be directing me (however He does that) is denial, fear, and hesitation. But, it is the truth I need and it is as the Gospel of John records, the truth that enables us to live “free, indeed.”

To what is God calling you? How is He nudging you? In what areas is He confronting you with the truth, however disquieting it may be?

This Sunday we’ll wrap our our YOU MAKE THE CALL series as we look at something to which we can all relate: perseverance. I can’t wait to meet the people you’ve invited to join us this week.

See you Sunday,
Jeff