Jerusalem has fallen! Nebuchadnezzar and his armies have won and the king has been carried off to be tortured. Jeremiah is left behind along with the poor to whom the captain of Nebuchadnezzar’s army gave vineyards and fields (Jeremiah 39:1-10). Those who were left behind came to Jeremiah, asking him to petition the LORD his God on their behalf (Jeremiah 42:1-3). In doing so, they make a commitment to obey God even if they do not like what He says (Jeremiah 42:5-6). Does your commitment to obedience go as deep as those who found themselves in captivity?
Be honest. It’s easy to obey God when He tells us to do something we want. How easy is it to obey when God says something we don’t like or don’t want to hear? I wish I could say that I like everything God says and most of the time that is true. However, there are those times when God says something I don’t want to hear. There are those times when He asks too much or He asks me to give up something I want to hold on to. There are those times when the Christian walk is just too difficult and yet God calls on us to move forward by faith. It’s when God says something we do not like that you and I find out if our commitment to God runs deep or if it is just a surface thing, just a convenient show so that I can convince myself that all is well.
What are some of the things He asks that I find displeasing? He asks me to forgive when it’s the last thing I want to do, including when someone has truly and honestly hurt me. He asks me not to do things that I know are wrong even as I see others doing the same thing and seemingly getting away with it. He asks me to trust when I can see with my own eyes that the path leads to the base of an insurmountable obstacle. He asks me to help others carry their burdens and to joyfully give to others those things I value the most. He even asks me to suffer ridicule and to experience being trolled simply because I believe in Him. Sometimes it seems like He asks too much. Does it ever seem that way to you?
Even so, I want to join with that small group of people who, after being left behind in Israel, come to Jeremiah with a pledge to obey what God says, “Whether it is pleasing or displeasing…” (Jeremiah 42:6 NKJV). The reality of their situation and the difficulties they faced drove them to decide to take their dedication to God beyond the surface. Following their example, we should also pledge to obey everything that God asks of us. After all, Jesus is not just our Savior. He is our LORD. Knowing this to be a fact, how deep is your commitment to obey our LORD?
