[H]e humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
(Philippians 2:8)
“This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’
“But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward. From the day your ancestors left Egypt until now, I have continued to send my servants, the prophets—day in and day out. But my people have not listened to me or even tried to hear. They have been stubborn and sinful—even worse than their ancestors.
“Tell them all this, but do not expect them to listen. Shout out your warnings, but do not expect them to respond. Say to them, ‘This is the nation whose people will not obey the LORD their God and who refuse to be taught. Truth has vanished from among them; it is no longer heard on their lips.’” (Jeremiah 7:23–28 NLT)
There are times God’s word speaks a truth I would humanly rather not hear. I like being told about God’s love and provision. I like reading the Bible stories about the parting of the Red Sea and the Lord being my shepherd and me not wanting. I like the message of the feeding of the five thousand and the healing of those who are sick. I struggle more with the message of the Lordship of Jesus, particularly when it comes to doing something I don’t want to do or giving up something I don’t want to give up I don’t always want to live in obedience to him as he did to the Father. There are many times the message of Jeremiah 7:23-28 is one I need to hear.
I am a grandfather to three precious kiddos. They constantly amaze me with how bright, inquisitive, and clever they are. Though my amazement of them knows few boundaries, I often see glimpses of them not wanting to do something and not wanting to give something up. I am very familiar with that struggle. This impulse lives in them, and it is also there in me. Jeremiah 7:24 states, “But my people would not listen to me. They kept doing whatever they wanted, following the stubborn desires of their evil hearts. They went backward instead of forward.”
Wow! When I read that, and reread it, I see in it how I resist listening to and hearing from God. We often demand doing what we want and going backward rather than forward.
In this time of Lent, we look anticipate the redemption and the deliverance we have through the sacrifice of Jesus. It is also a time for us to consider why we need redemption and deliverance.
To follow Jesus is to practice an ongoing surrender of our way to his way. It is to acknowledge where we are not listening or hearing. It is to confess where we have gone backward and not forward. It is to grieve the hardening of our hearts and our selfishness and sinfulness. It is an invitation to turn ourselves back to him.
Our hope is in Jesus, our redeemer and our deliverer. The invitation of God in Jesus is to draw near. It is to trust in the good news of God’s grace in Jesus and in the new beginning we have as we walk in obedience and faithfulness.
Embrace the good news today. If your experience is like mine, you usually know where you have been resisting God and his work in your life. By God’s grace, we do not need to stay in that place, but we can release the control of whatever it is to Jesus.
Dr. Harry Kelm is the executive director of the North American Baptist Conference.