Loving God of all people, bless and protect the life and needs of this dear reader in his/her journey today; in Christ Jesus I pray, amen.
Our text is from Jeremiah 8:18-9:1: 18 My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick. 19 Hark, the cry of my poor people from far and wide in the land: "Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not in her?" ("Why have they provoked me to anger with their images, with their foreign idols?") 20 "The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." 21 For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. 22 Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored? 1 O that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears, so that I might weep day and night for the slain of my poor people!
Unlike most kids of my day, I went to a lot of funerals. There was no child care nor nursery for kids to wait while parents grieved and mourned the loss of a family member or friend. It was and is a haunting scene of crying and wailing. For a young boy it was straight out of a scary movie the likes of which I avoided (and still do!). I didn't understand the why behind it, but after a while and several funerals later, I and my brothers and sisters looked for anything humorous that would take our minds away from the hurt. Sadly, there is no humor in the hurt that we inflict upon God by our disobedience and our turning away from where we know God would have us be. In this passage the prophet is speaking of the lament of God for those who have turned away and followed earthly pleasures, passions and delights and strayed from God's path. It is like those at funerals who have lost all joy and hope and for a period seem only to grieve. Why would we knowingly cause that for God?
We were blessed with free will. We can do whatever we want. But it pleases God to no end when we choose God's way rather than our way. Many times it is not the easy choice nor the choice of the world or even of our dear friends, but we do it not for them or even for us, we do it for God.
What will you choose today? Will you please someone close in hopes of bringing them and you joy? or will you seek to please the Lord God?
PRAYER: Loving God forgive me the times I have grieved Your heart. Help me to be the person I was meant to be. Let me bring joy to You this day and all days. Lord, there are those grieving much today for different losses in their lives, I ask you please visit them with Your comfort and peace. Bless me and my loved ones this day; I ask it all in the Name of Christ Jesus my Savior, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord.
Eradio Valverde
