September 19, 2010

Jeremiah 8:18-9:1
My Joy

“My joy is gone, grief is upon me, my heart is sick.” (Jer. 8:18) “The harvest is past, the summer is ended, and we are not saved." For the hurt of my poor people I am hurt, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold of me. Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my poor people not been restored? (Jer. 8:20-22)

We know what Jeremiah is feeling, don’t we? There have been times we too have experienced grief or loss of joy; times we have been hurt or heartsick, days we have gone through disappointment or deep mourning. We know his pain even if when we hate to admit it.

The challenge of embracing Jeremiah is that his grief and sorrow runs counter to what we are to do when things go wrong. Ours is a culture of optimism – look on the bright side, accentuate the positive and search for the silver lining.

Instead of being optimistic, the prophet Jeremiah says, “Is there no balm in Gilead? There’s no bright side in his words. His message is a hard one to hear. It is a message God’s justice and great love for God’s people.

God grieves with Jeremiah. His grief is God’s grief, and his tears as well. God wants to be in relationship with us, and invites us to return to his way. “Is there no balm in Gilead?” asks the Lord — is there no healing to be found?

Fortunately, God reaches out to us in love, and promises never to let us go.