Woe to Me

 “Woe to me…why is my pain continuous, my wound incurable, refusing to be healed?”  (Jeremiah 15:10, 18)

How many times have we felt like Jeremiah? We feel like our pain is never ending. He goes on to talk about the good things he has done “I neither borrow nor lend…when I found your words I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart.” (15:10, 16) As if explaining why he shouldn't be suffering because he has been so good, always doing what is right. Jeremiah boldly states what is in his heart. That is one of the things I love about Jeremiah and so many of the Psalmists. They touch all the human emotions. They aren’t afraid to be honest with God, the only one we shouldn’t be afraid to be honest with. God already knows what is in our hearts and our minds and we are only fooling ourselves if we think we can keep something from Him.

Being open and honest with God helps us, not Him. It strengthens our relationship with God. Things seem to get bigger and out of control when left unspoken. Unspoken fears loom over us. Unspoken words can beat us down; all those “what ifs, if only I would have said__ or done that.”I often see this in my patients and their family. The fear of the unknown is more difficult than the truth. So from the very beginning I tell my families to not be afraid to ask questions. If they speak their fears they no longer have power over them.  There is often a solution and then we have something concrete to figure out together.

Even for Jeremiah, God told him what he needed to do. Jeremiah needed to repent so that God could restore him. He tells Jeremiah to “bring forth the precious without the vile” (15:19) Being open and honest with God is the best thing but he isn’t going to let Jeremiah have a pity party. If we want to be disciples, then God will be with us every step of the way but it is not an easy road. Once we quit the whining, God will use us as his mouthpiece just as he did Jeremiah. And He will protect us from “the hand of the wicked.” He is with us “to deliver and rescue you, says the LORD.” (15:21)

Dear Lord, I know that you are here with me each and every moment. You know everything about me but you want me to share it with you, not holding back. Help me to learn to trust my emotions and to remember that they are neither good nor bad. It is what we do with our emotions that produce good or evil. Fear is fear, I can allow fear to push others away or be hurtful, or I can use my fears to make me stronger. Fear can propel me to be bold in my profession of you and be open to the Holy Spirit to give me the courage I need to overcome my fears and walk in your truth.