Confounded

“Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded:” - Jeremiah 17.18

It is worth noting that the Prophet Jeremiah was a real person.

He was real.

God had given him a very difficult job to do – prophesy and preach about “DOOM & GLOOM”... for some 40 years, or so, before the complete destruction of Jerusalem.  Almost all the people Jeremiah knew hated him for what he had to say, the “shoot the messenger” mentality.

Jeremiah was a real person and God knew this.  God led and inspired Jeremiah to record the struggles he faced in this calling from God.  God allows us to see how God views our world from the writings of this very real, very feeling, very normal person... “Let them be confounded that persecute me, but let not me be confounded: let them be dismayed, but let not me be dismayed: bring upon them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.”

We are real.

God sometimes gives us difficult jobs to do – not nearly as difficult as the job given to Jeremiah, but still difficult.  He understands and allows us to face it, and deal with it with the same struggles of our heart which is very real, very feeling, very normal  – even if it sounds hard at times...
“Let them be confounded that persecute me... let them be dismayed...”

God is real.

God can give people what they have earned, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Roman 6.23) So sadly, “DOOM & GLOOM” will come to many... but for us, we must also ask – like Jeremiah - “...but let not me be confounded... let not me be dismayed...”

Run with patience,
- Pastor Tottingham