Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Tina Hsu. Tina, a graduate of Biola University and Talbot School of Theology (M.Div.), currently serves as a staff at the Church of Southland, Anaheim, California.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
“When News Can’t Remain Untold”
Jeremiah 20:7-13
O Lord, You have deceived me and I was deceived; You have overcome me and prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; Everyone mocks me. 8 For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the Lord has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. 9 But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it. 10 For I have heard the whispering of many, “Terror on every side! Denounce him; yes, let us denounce him!” All my trusted friends, Watching for my fall, say: “Perhaps he will be deceived, so that we may prevail against him And take our revenge on him.” 11 But the Lord is with me like a dread champion; Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail. They will be utterly ashamed, because they have failed, With an everlasting disgrace that will not be forgotten.
Have you ever had news that you could barely hold in and couldn’t wait to share? This could be a birth announcement, a gender reveal, a new job, an opportunity of a lifetime in a new city, a dream fulfilled, or an answered prayer after long seasons of waiting. You celebrated in your heart and couldn’t wait to celebrate with others about the news.
In this morning’s passage, Jeremiah describes how he had news for Judah that he could barely hold in—but his words for Judah didn’t derive from joy and celebration, nor for further celebration. Rather, he strived with all his might to keep God’s message of judgment for Judah to himself, for fear of backlash and persecution; but God’s message was in his heart like a burning fire. It was weary to hold it in, so Jeremiah could not let God’s message remain untold. In obeying God’s role for him as a prophet, Jeremiah now complains to the Lord for the mockery and beating he has received. In the most recent instance, he was put into prison by Pashhur the priest. In this prayer to the Lord, we see the deep, emotional, yet unique life path of the prophet Jeremiah.
How can we appreciate these portions of Scripture in which the complaints of God’s servant are recorded? In Jeremiah, we get to observe the honest humanity of a servant of God, and see how he faced difficult situations. He wrestles with fear, despair, and disappointment towards God, just as we do. He vacillates between wanting to quit being a witness for God because of the scorn that comes with it, and sensing that he must speak out loud what God has given him to say. In feeling disappointed that God didn’t quickly deliver him, and feeling as if God deceived him, he poured out his honest emotions before God. By sincerely wrestling before God, Jeremiah was again able to trust God’s wisdom for the result of his witness, by calling God “his dread champion.”
Has God been planting convictions in you that you resist to act on because of the possibility of pushback and backlash? Bring your concerns and fears to God and entrust yourself to the One who exercises wisdom over the outcome of your works.
Prayer: Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that as your son/daughter, I can pour out my soul to You and wrestle with all of my honest emotions before You. When I have a hard time believing in Your goodness and can only sense the chaos and discomfort around me, I pray that You would sustain me and help me to wait upon You as You are the lifter of my head. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Daniel 4
Lunch Break Study
Read Psalm 3:1-8: O Lord, how my adversaries have increased! Many are rising up against me. 2 Many are saying of my soul, “There is no deliverance for him in God.” Selah. 3 But You, O Lord, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head. 4 I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain. Selah. 5 I lay down and slept; I awoke, for the Lord sustains me. 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people Who have set themselves against me round about. 7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God! For You have smitten all my enemies on the cheek; you have shattered the teeth of the wicked. 8 Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be upon Your people! Selah.
Questions to Consider
- What was David going through when he wrote this psalm?
- What does this psalm describe about security and peace in God for the believer?
- David says, “…for the Lord sustains me”—In what ways in your life right now do you need the Lord to sustain you?
Notes
- He was facing trouble and distress as he fled from his son Absalom. Absalom had led a rather successful rebellion against David and friends, and subjects of David had joined Absalom’s side. Even people around David were convinced that there is no help for David in God (v. 2).
- In David’s distress, and by the way he prays to God, the psalm reveals how those who are in God could experience unshakeable peace and security, and believe the shield of God that covers them. In the midst of trouble, David could even sleep, because his security in God is firm.
- Personal response.
Evening Reflection
Psalm 3:4: “I was crying to the Lord with my voice, and He answered me from His holy mountain.”
Jeremiah 20:11: “But the Lord is with me like a dread champion; therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.”
Both Jeremiah and David went through opposition. By circumstance alone, it seems like there was no hope in their suffering and that God didn’t hear their cries. However, both of them by faith proclaimed that God hears them and is their victor and champion. Their spirits were renewed by proclaiming truth to themselves before they actually tasted victory. This evening, reflect on a battle you are facing (spiritual, relational, vocational, physical, emotional) and ask the Holy Spirit to give you strength to proclaim God as your victor and champion over your situation.
In this morning’s passage, we get to see how Pashhur the priest finishes his life. Pashhur had great influence being the chief officer in the temple of the Lord. However, his role in Jerusalem did not spare him from the destruction and years of exile that Judah was about to face. After hearing of Jeremiah breaking the clay jar as a message to Judah of impending judgment, Pashhur was angry at Jeremiah and put him in prison overnight. After a painful and humiliating night, Jeremiah was released and foretold Pashhur the terrible pain he was about to experience. He would not only be taken into exile along with Judah, but he and his household would also die in exile. The main reason for a painful end to his life is that he falsely prophesied to many people while being entrusted with the role as a priest. The words he spoke stuck with many of his friends, and they also would be buried in exile.
One of the wisest choices my mother made for my sister and me was when she signed us up for a Divorce Care Group for kids when we were young. She told us that she did this because she was aware that we may have emotions such as anger, sadness, or disappointment that we were afraid to express to her, but she didn’t want us to harbor it in our hearts. She told us to tell it to our care group and she wouldn’t be mad about anything we said in those sessions. I remember those sessions being a safe place to share and listen, but I honestly was too young to process. However, her choice set me up well for my college years when I started to have pent up emotions about my parent’s divorce, and I knew it was permissible to grieve. In fact, allowing myself to grieve and find a counselor led to a season of healing and restoration.
After I got baptized in high school after having encountered God’s forgiveness at a youth retreat, I remember wrestling with the foundational question, “How do I actually follow Jesus now?” The more vulnerable thought was, “How do I function in the same environment I have been living in and overcome temptations and represent Christ in my life?” I was afraid to “fail” and see my baptism as just a “passing event” that didn’t lead to any difference in my life.
When I was a little girl, I checked out some of my mom’s expensive glassware that she had stored in a cabinet. I thought I was careful with handling glass, but I still managed to shatter one glass right in front her eyes. I had broken a lot things as a curious young girl, but this one I knew was beyond repair and no longer usable. Its shattered pieces could only be swept and thrown away. In this morning’s passage, the prophet is told to purchase a clay jar, only to break it in front of Judah’s leaders (19:10) at the valley of Ben-hinnom, as a symbolic message to the nation of the Lord’s impending judgment, for they had remained stubborn and unrepentant after many warnings. Proverbs 29:1 says, “Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed–without remedy.” In speaking of Judah’s soon-to-happen exile to Babylon, Jeremiah’s prophetic act conveys that it will be a calamity in that God’s people will be “broken,” as one breaks the potter’s clay jar and throws it into the dump.
It was always very easy for me to drift into other thoughts or daydreams. The irritating part of this was that I could tune things out even in a room full of people or in the middle of a conversation. And while it may seem strange, embarrassing, and inconvenient, I have learned that it wasn’t that I was bored or did not care, but actually, it was in those moments that I was trying to make meaningful connections. It was much easier in my childhood to dream and to unabashedly wonder at inconspicuous details, but as an adult, I was ashamed of appearing “out of touch,” inattentive, or unrealistic.
The Japanese have a tradition called kintsugi, in which broken or flawed pottery is pieced back together with gold lacquer. This process began as a simple method of repair—taking plates that had been chipped and teapots that had been shattered, and gluing them back together. But over time, kintsugi became regarded as a desirable aesthetic, a form of art, and even a philosophy. The potters behind these repairs reasoned that the cracks and chips that most would hide as flaws should instead be highlighted as part of the unique history of each bowl, cup, and vase. In essence, kintsugi underscores the beauty to be found in the natural imperfection, brokenness, and restoration of everything. Broken pieces can be put together to create something intricate and whole. This idea translates easily into a metaphor for life in God: He highlights our brokenness, takes the pieces of our self, and restores us into something intricate and whole. It sounds beautiful—putting aside the pain of experiencing the true breaking of the self. And I don’t wish to downplay how impactful this imagery can be for us at times, but no metaphor is completely perfect.
I’ve never considered myself to be a workaholic. I have seen my fair share of people who prefer to be busy, or who need to have a schedule packed to the brim as to not waste a moment; but personally— whether it’s due to my personality, my location (sunny San Diego), or something deeper—I’m not like that. However, this past year brought a lot of changes and transitions in my life, and with that came a myriad of new responsibilities. As work piled up, I found myself getting busier and busier. There was always something that needed to be done or needed to be thought through—and this made it easy to forgo taking any sort of meaningful Sabbath. Why set aside an entire day away from work when that would just leave more to get back to the next day?
Today’s AMI QT Devotional is provided by Charles Graham. Charles is a new intern with Kairos, who came aboard in September of 2017. He is currently studying at Talbot School of Theology to prepare himself for a life of service and ministry.
I’m a huge sports fan; following American football and basketball the closest. I may lose some people with this, but being a SoCal native, my earliest memories of watching sports are of my family gathering around a giant CRT TV in the living room, and watching the Los Angeles Lakers. I love the Lakers, and I’ll welcome Lebron James with open arms (and no shame). Anyway, further down the road, my family moved from LA to San Diego, where I developed a love and appreciation for the (then) San Diego Chargers. Growing into a fan of the Chargers was an interesting experience. In watching and attending games, I began to observe a peculiar pattern in the behavior of most other fans; that they would love the Chargers as long as we were winning, but in down times there were serious concerns of season ticket holders abandoning their passes, or even jerseys getting disowned. As time went on, I grew to understand that these people are known as “fair weather fans,” or more commonly, “bandwagoners.”
For as long as it has existed, Christians have endured countless criticisms of the God we serve and adore. It seems God is a popular figure to constantly put on trial. Interestingly, while people seem rather comfortable with Jesus and His interactions with various people He meets during His ministry, the temperament of God in the Old Testament is often viewed as at odds with Jesus by skeptics, and is used as a constant point of attack. Outspoken atheist, Richard Dawkins, is one of many who lobs complaints his book, The God Delusion. Though not a very sophisticated critique, Dawkins pulls no punches, writing: