A Passionate Intercessor
TEXT: LAMENTATIONS 5:1-22
KEY VERSE: “Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old” (Lamentations 5:21
We all live in a highly individualistic world where self-centredness is taken as the norm. In Africa and other less-developed nations, at least some form of communal spirit subsists. Modernization has relegated love and compassion for others and a strong community spirit to the background. Selfishness has suddenly become a kind of cult.
In the text today, Jeremiah compassionately brought the detestable lifestyle of the people to God, stating the consequent misfortunes that follow and urging God to forgive their iniquities. He remembered the heritage God granted them and sincerely confessed the shame which had come upon Jerusalem because of her many-sided transgressions. He stated the litany of woes which sin had mid-wifed in the land such as the oppression unleashed by Egypt and Assyria. The ravishing of the city’s esteemed women folk by strangers and the displacement of highly prized old men at the city gates. The reader cannot but empathize with a burdened servant of God who was evidently torn apart by the mind-boggling problems plaguing his people. He pleaded with God not to forsake His people completely.
If our world was peopled by a higher number of burdened and compassionate prophets like Jeremiah, God’s mercy and favour might have been more pronounced in our sinful world. Sadly, righteous men are few and far-between. Many so-called men of God who could have been interceding for their congregation are instead obsessed with exploiting their hapless members and rendering them bankrupt through unending payments of “tithes and special offerings” to gratify their oversized appetites.
Yet, God is looking for those who would make up the edge and stand in the gap to avert God’s judgment upon the world. Dare to be different from mercenary pastors and hypocritical leaders and possess burdened minds like those of Jeremiah and our Saviour and Lord. Ultimately, the believer’s life will be measured not by material possession but by his godly influence on people.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: He who will be truly great before God will be a ready burden-bearer for others.