Today's Reading:

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But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.
Jeremiah 20:9

 Jeremiah was full of sorrow. He had been beaten, mocked, imprisoned, threatened with death, and put into stocks (Jeremiah 19-20). He felt like God overpowered him. In total exhaustion, he tried to quit prophesying. But he could not. The internal compulsion to speak God’s word was too strong.

God’s word is true, and the knowledge burned like a fire inside of Jeremiah. It was the same fire that appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3) and the same fire at Pentecost (Acts 2). The fire was now inside Jeremiah’s bones. He did not want to shove it down; he felt compelled to share the Word. The fire that kept him going was God’s grace, which helped keep him faithful when his emotions and body wanted to give up. It was not Jeremiah’s willpower that kept him going, but God’s grace.

Today we feel the same weariness as Jeremiah. Cultural pressure, mockery, and indifference try to keep us quiet. Even burnout, fear, and rejection each tempt us to remain silent. But that fire should be burning so hot that we shout from the mountaintops and reclaim God’s glory. Let your heart feel His words until they burn in your bones. We should spread the Word joyfully. When you feel too tired or weak, remember that the same God who empowered Jeremiah is the same Spirit that lives inside of you. That fire must start internally and then be spoken, and it must visibly shine for others to see. Do not hold the fire inside- let it burn bright!

When was the last time you felt God’s Word so strongly inside you that you simply could not hold it in?

In Jeremiah 17–40, the prophet Jeremiah continued to warn Judah of the coming judgment while he also gave a message of hope. He exposed the deceitful human heart, confronted false prophets, and suffered personal persecution, which included beatings, stocks, imprisonment, and being thrown into a muddy cistern. Despite the people’s stubborn refusal to repent, God promised a future restoration, a righteous Branch from David’s line, and a new covenant. The section ended with the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon, the exile of most of the people, and God’s protection of both a remnant in the land as well as Jeremiah himself.

 

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