Jeremiah 14:20 We acknowledge our wickedness, Lord, and the guilt of our ancestors; we have indeed sinned against you.
I spent way more time than I should have this morning looking for a stinging text sent to me years ago by a friend. She commented after one devo reflection that it was “the realest thing I’d written in a year and a half” and that I “realized a problem in my life and acknowledged it without self-flagellation.” Four and a half years later, her comment still stings. So why do I include it here?
Jeremiah 14:21 For the sake of your name do not despise us; do not dishonor your glorious throne. Remember your covenant with us and do not break it.
What God wants from His people is genuine repentance, and I know I have a problem with pride. What my friend saw as self-flagellation, God recognizes as my humbling myself before Him. I am human, and it is shockingly easy for me to let my pride take the wheel. I want to always humble myself before Him. It doesn’t matter what what my friend thought she saw or understood from my reflections. God knows my heart.
Jeremiah 14:22a Do any of the worthless idols of the nations bring rain? Do the skies themselves send down showers?
Lord, I want to be real, honest, and humble before You always. Help me to care more about where I stand with You and how I stand before You than I do about how others perceive me. Help me to have a humble and contrite heart in Your pressure and to glorify Your name for all. Amen.
Jeremiah 14:22b No, it is you, Lord our God. Therefore our hope is in you, for you are the one who does all this.
Have a blessed day.