Are you a believer "coriaceous" ? (2)

Saturday 15 May 2021

Are you a believer "coriaceous" ? (2)

“I made your forehead as hard as a diamond, harder than stone. You won't be afraid of them.” Ezekiel 3.9

Perhaps one of the best examples of tough believers is Jeremiah, Gary Thomas suggests. Let's take a look at his life. Called in his youth to become a prophet of God, during the reign of King Josiah, a king who feared God and brought about a “revival” among the people, Jeremiah's mission did not appear too compelling. But after the king's death, the situation quickly changed. The new king worshiped idols and did not appreciate the prophet's remonstrance too much. Persecution fell on him to the point that he cried out, addressing God : “Why is my suffering continuous ? Why is the wound incurable, why does it refuse to heal ? Will you end up becoming for me like a deceptive source, like water to be wary of ?” (Jeremiah 15. 18). He was whipped and then put in irons. The religious leaders demanded his death (26.11). He narrowly escaped, for God had promised to protect his life. Finally, under the reign of King Zedekiah, a weak and courageous king, he was thrown into a foul jail where he languished “for a long time” (Jeremiah 37:16). He only got out to be thrown into a disused cistern, where a thick layer of mud lay, in which he sank to his waist. The king finally took pity on him and about thirty men were needed to pull him out of his mud. But that did not mean he was released. Considered a traitor to his homeland because he announced, prompted by the Spirit of God, that in order to survive it was necessary to surrender to the Babylonians instead of resisting them, Jeremiah endured all these abuses because he insisted on obeying at all costs. at his call. He exclaimed once : “If I say : 'I will no longer mention him, I will no longer speak on his behalf,' then there is in my heart like a consuming fire which is retained in my bones. I tire of trying to contain it, without succeeding” (Jeremiah 20. 9). Are you ready to become a new “Jeremiah” if the circumstances one day call for you? Even if you are afraid, know that God also tells you, “I made your forehead as hard as a diamond, harder than a stone. You won't be afraid of them.”

Source (His Word for Today)