Now behold, I have made you today as a fortified city, and as a pillar of iron and as walls of bronze against the whole land, to the kings of Judah, to its princes, to its priests and to the people of the land.

And they will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD. Jeremiah 1:18-19

 

What a statement. Father God is making Jeremiah strong against Israel. Then He promises that Jeremiah will be delivered and not overcome. I wonder if Jeremiah had any idea just how difficult things were going to become.

 

The message Jeremiah is commanded to deliver to the people of Israel is harsh and condemning. Surely Jeremiah knew when he spoke judgment against Israel, his life would take a turn for the worst. People living in any time and place do not enjoy being criticized or corrected.

 

In chapter 19, Pashhur the priest has Jeremiah beaten and put in stocks. When Jeremiah prophesied the coming destruction of the temple and Jerusalem, there was a plot to murder Jeremiah. He was imprisoned…lowered into a cistern…

 

As Jeremiah was lowered into that cistern… as he began to sink into the mud…what was Jeremiah thinking? These circumstances did not appear to be protection. Certainly, they looked like failure and even possibly death.

 

But here’s the thing. Even when, and maybe especially when we find ourselves in a pit sinking deeper into the mire, that’s when the promises Father has made anchor us to Him. Clinging to His Word and resting in His Presence always is the answer to fear and dreadful circumstances.

 

Don’t lose hope. When our Father makes a promise…when He gives His Word…nothing can break it. We may get weak in the knees…we may tremble a little…we may lament…but that is ok. We cling to the Promise Maker. The Hope Giver. The Mercy Father. The Deliverer. The One who loves us.

 

Hold on to what He has spoken to you. Put those words beside scripture to validate them as true. Then just rest. Our Father is a good, good, good God.