If you’ve ever heard Jeremiah called the weeping prophet, it’s natural to wonder how he came by the nickname. Well, it’s natural if you haven’t read his writing. That poor dude is (for me, anyway) an object lesson in not wanting to be an Old Testament prophet. Talk about rough!
Jeremiah the Weeping Prophet
Some people have referred to Jeremiah as the Weeping Prophet as a result of the dark days and messages that surrounded his ministry to the people of Israel. The guy literally wrote a book called Lamentations. But, his words in Jeremiah 9:1 are a good example.
“Oh that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!”
This man was shown the judgement that God was preparing for the Israelite people, and then he lived through it. It broke his heart. I can empathize with that. Thousands of years after the fact, I read the Hebrew scriptures, and I still struggle to conceptualize that kind of destruction.
But, one of the really cool things about God’s word is that it contains stuff for us in every season. When you are grieving, begging God for a different outcome, and struggling to understand WHY He is allowing your present circumstances… His word reveals that you are not alone.
A line of grief written 2600 years ago reveals that others questioned. Others were heartbroken. Others wept. This verse helped me to avoid isolation, frustration, and bitterness last year.
That is the strength of authentic community. Life is not lived on a highlight reel. There are hard days. But, they are made easier by the knowledge that I am not alone. He is with me. And, there is nothing that I might face which is unique. Others around the world share it with me.
I am connected to others through my experiences, even if I don’t know who they are.
“Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” 1 Peter 5:9 ESV
Jeremiah 31 3 ESV
Jeremiah felt insufficient to be the mouthpiece of God. He had a hard job to begin with, and no one wanted to believe him. They even threw him in jail. But, as I was going through Jeremiah last summer, I found that his story resonated with me.
I didn’t want to be where I was. I didn’t understand how this could possibly be God’s will. There was weeping. But, even though I wasn’t getting what I wanted, I chose to trust Him. I accepted that He was in control, even if I didn’t understand.
And, what I found was that God had so much more in store for me than I could ever have imagined. This verse toward the end of his book absolutely shook me when I read it at summer camp last year.
“the LORD appeared to him from far away. I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you.” Jeremiah 31 3 ESV
I had listened to everyone else’s voice, allowing them to shape my understanding of my value, last year. We all have voices that echo, for good or ill. But, across eternity, the voice of God shouts forever above them all: *I* have loved you. Nothing. Else. Matters.
God has rebuilt my life in new and amazing ways over the past year. I have found myself and my daughters thriving, filled with peace and joy and love, and I am reminded once again that His ways are higher than mine. His plan is better.
One of these days, I’ll get around to researching the “hissing” that appears so frequently in Jeremiah. But it is not this day. For now, I will remember the promise of God, and reflect on what an encouragement it was to me when I read it, and surely was to him as he received it.
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