“Standing in the Need of Prayer”

Quest for Best includes prayer that is an expression
of a passion for God.

Candid Kids -

All are basic expressions of prayer - for approaching God as a living Person, as One to whom we speak is one definition of prayer.

How would you define prayer? What is your experience of it? Would you like to do more praying? Need motivation? Like to have a passion for God that moves you to pray? Jeremiah sets quite an example for us - Praying Prophet! ?Wonder whether we have ever prayed these kinds of prayers. They are a reflection of Jeremiah’s relationship with God. There is passion, deep friendship, honesty, sensitivity, responsiveness - Jeremiah and God. Good basis for evaluating our own relationship with Him.

Jeremiah 15 shows us the two parts of Jeremiah’s prayer. You thought prayer = praise/petition expressed to God. But Jeremiah’s prayers continue after he stops talking - because there are two parts. Jeremiah has a part. God has a part. Commentator: In prayer, God is not merely audience, He is also partner.

We see these 2 parts in the segment vs. 15-21. Jeremiah’s part vs. 15-18 God’s part vs. 19-21. This interchange (prayer) is part of a larger interaction taking place from even before 15:1 God: 15:1-9 - anger, grief, rejection; Jeremiah 15:10 - woe, pain, rejection; God: 15:11-14 - encouragement to Jeremiah, further anger against Israel.

I. JEREMIAH’S PART - 15-18
His speaking part - You know me, I’m scared, lonely, hurting, angry

(15) You understand, O Lord
Remember me - call for me
(1) “you know me” - Peterson -pp 99
Jeremiah has had these experience with God. God knows him. He knows God

Avenge me on my persecutors
You are long-suffering - do not take me away

Think of how I suffer reproach for your sake

(2) “I am scared” has been beaten, confined, has known of plots against his life. “one thing that really scares me - your patience will last so long I’ll be killed.” “Can’t you act on my behalf a little quicker?”


(16) When your words came, I ate them; joy - heart’s delight for I bear your name - O Lord God Almighty

(17) I never sat...
I sat alone


(3) “I am lonely” - words came = Deut found? threw self into preaching. But most went their own way. No one else with him. He is alone. He feels that loneliness and expresses it to his Lord


(18) Why is my pain unending, my wound incurable

“incurable” = Hebrew term - Enosh - Gen. 4:26 - name of Seth’s son. One of 4 terms used in OT to denote ‘man’ Enosh = description of man who is incurable - unable to redeem himself from bondage of corruption. Interesting - coming Messiah is described in Dan 7:13 as “one like a son of Enosh” Similar to Rev. 5:6 “lamb that was slain” when he returns He will come with the marks upon His body of his wounds. Jeremiah - wound incurable - pain without hope of relief

(4) “I am hurting” He saw Israel’s sin. He felt their rejection. He witnessed their rebellion and idolatry. God’s word was so much a part of him, he felt real pain at their lack of response. He felt wounded with a wound that would not heal.

will you be with me - deceptive brook - like a spring that fails?

(5) “I am angry” - may have thot his preaching would effect repentance
may have felt his predictions had failed -should have happened by now. Similar expression to 20:7 - may have felt God had misled him & overpowered him & forced him to submit.

Jeremiah very honest, open, transparent - no masks, no pretense - just being himself - not very pleasant - no clichés but very real.

Have you ever prayed that way” “you know me” I’m scared, lonely, hurting, angry

Jeremiah doesn’t seem to have hesitated a bit - All he felt, experienced, thought, sense, suspicioned. He brought into his relationship to God. The God he knew to be a savior, deliverer, rescuer.



II. GOD’S PART vs. 19-21
1) restoration 2) renewing 3) redeeming

1) RESTORING part is bracing, hard, abrupt, frontal, severe
Main themes of Jeremiah’s preaching now turn by God toward Jeremiah himself!

(19) If you repent, I will restore you.
Repent - God - as with Job - doesn’t answer the complaints - He responds to the complainer. His call? Repent of this self-pity - feeling sorry for yourself.
“I understand your pain - can’t wallow there - can’t focus there - can’t dwell there” “Turn away from it, Jeremiah. Don’t succumb to those feelings. The more you dwell there, the greater likelihood of being destroyed.” “Turn away from those - and I’ll ‘turn’ you - restore you.” All of us have known these feelings - fear, hurt, loneliness, anger.

Some, perhaps, have known the destruction of hurt - bitterness - plotting schemes of revenge, etc. Some, perhaps, have now the power of anger - out of control - quarreling, fighting, strife and anguish.

In his case, Jeremiah seems to have gone beyond initially experiencing these feelings - appears to be dwelling upon them to point of accusing God of being unfaithful - “deceptive brook” God’s call - “Repent” Turn to me and I’ll restore you - praying - repentance

2) RENEWING
dimension of God’s part vs. 19b If you utter worthy, not worthless, words, you will be my spokesman. Let this people turn (repent) to you, but you must not turn to them.

Renewing taking place - no release from prophet’s call; - no desertion of his prophet’s commission; - no escape, no excuses, no quitting. Jeremiah felt preaching futile; only responses are painful (persecution - rejection) - maybe change the message?? Speak what people want to hear - like most of the other prophets/priests of his day. God: “Stick to your calling - stay with truth” “Don’t go to them! Don’t be concerned about what they are saying. I’m the one to be concerned. You be my mouth!”

Prayer has not only led to repentance; it has also led to renewal where Jeremiah’s priorities are re-established. God must be 1st - everything else 2nd. When God is 1st - tough jobs may bring complaints but they don’t bring surrender. If anything else is in 1st place - then we are in danger.
Opinion of someone else > truth of God
Pleasing of someone else > pleasing Lord
Prayer will re-establish our priorities - renewal. When we allow God to speak when we pray - our mood swings are corrected - our feelings are balanced, our circumstances are properly perceived.

3) REDEMPTION
dimension of God’s part (20) & (21) - wall to this people, fortified wall
they will fight/not overcome. I am with you to rescue, to save, to redeem. almost identical to initial call 1:18-19

Prayer leads to redemption = to extricate
rescue - deliverance - reassurance.
God reminds Jer. of His promises. God knows Jer. needs to hear again his commission. Prayer allows him to hear it again. to be assured of rescue. to be assured he will be extricated from his unresponsive hearers. Jer. comes away reconnected to his God. Their relationship has been buffeted a 100 times, in numerous ways, and God thru prayer always re-establishes, reconnects it.

The world assaults us also in numerous ways, a temptation here, a suggestion there, a trap here, a seduction there. Eugene Peterson - “It’s not enough to carry memory verses around with us; we need daily encounter with the resonant voice of God.” We pray - we listen - God speaks - we know deliverance and rescue. We reaffirm our faith and our commitments and our calling.

CONCLUSION

Much written and talked about prayer. From THIS passage out of Jeremiah’s experience, we understand at least 2 elements of prayer

Jeremiah’s part - honesty, transparency, no masks, being real
God’s part - restore - thru repentance if needed
renew - thru re-establishing priorities
redeem - thru hearing again of our relationship with Him and His promises to redeem and rescue.

In 1980, Rose Ruiz was the first woman to cross the finish line of the Boston Marathon. She had the laurel wreath placed on her head in a blaze of lights and cheering. She was completely unknown in the world of running. AN incredible feat! her first race a victory in the prestigious Boston Marathon! Then someone noticed her legs - loose flesh, cellulite. Questions were asked. No one had seen her along the 26.2 mile course. The truth came out: she had jumped into the race during the last mile.

We have all known people who want to get in on the finish but who cleverly arrange not to run the race. They wear their Christian masks but they do not run the race, believing through the rough times, praying through the lonely, angry hours.

Parody of Restaurant Illustration:

Person across the table is Self. Waiter is God. Waiter - God - is essential but peripheral! Need Him for the dinner but he is not a participant in it. He is one to whom you give orders - make complaints, maybe at the end give thanks. Person you are absorbed in is SELF - your moods, ideas, interests, satisfactions or lack of them. When you leave the restaurant - forget about the waiter until next time.

Want to pray with passion?
1- Be real with God - tell it all to Him
2- Give Him a chance to participate in your prayers - wait for Him to respond.



DISCLAIMER: These messages are offered for your personal enrichment. There is no legal copyright on this material. You have my full permission to use any of this material as long as you cite the source for any substantial amount used. Enjoy!