Hearing His Voice #304

O LORD, you misled me, and I allowed myself to be misled. You are stronger than I am, and you overpowered me.

Jeremiah 20:7

Jeremiah was frustrated and humiliated. He felt that God had led him into a ministry that wasn’t producing any of the results he might have envisioned. In fact, the only things it seemed to be producing were Jeremiah’s frustration and pain. In a moment of pure honesty with God, he blamed God for deceiving him and betraying him. Of course he knew at a theological level that God can’t lie, and it isn’t His nature to betray. But the prophet felt betrayed, and he said so. God’s voice had led him into a seemingly disastrous life’s work.

Like most prophets, Jeremiah wasn’t called simply to express God’s words. He was called to embody them. In this case, his emotions were an embodiment of God’s emotions. Jeremiah felt betrayed by God, and God felt betrayed by His people. Those who were meant to adore God and follow His ways were giving their love to idols and ignoring His ways. God’s sense of abandonment by those He loved was reflected by the prophet’s sense of abandonment by those he loved. The voice of God became a brutal, painful part of Jeremiah’s life.

In listening for God’s voice, watch your emotions carefully. They may be more than reactions to what you’re going through. They may also serve as reflections of how God feels. Delight over a newborn who has done nothing to deserve love may be a picture of God’s delight over His children who have done nothing to deserve His love. Grief over a broken relationship may be a picture of God’s grief over those who have given their love to other gods. Whatever your situation, your thoughts and emotions can potentially reflect something of God’s heart and thereby serve as His voice. Pay attention; He may be speaking not only to your heart but also through it.

Lord, it’s amazing how many times my situations have some divine parallel that give me a glimpse of Your heart. Help me notice the connections. Let me recognize—and even embody—your thoughts and feelings.