Jeremiah 20:7–13 (NRSV)
Read Jeremiah 20:7–13 on biblegateway.com
Verse 7O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed; you have overpowered me, and you have prevailed. I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me. Verse 8For whenever I speak, I must cry out, I must shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the Lord has become for me a reproach and derision all day long. Verse 9If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot. Verse 10For I hear many whispering: "Terror is all around! Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" All my close friends are watching for me to stumble. "Perhaps he can be enticed, and we can prevail against him, and take our revenge on him." Verse 11But the Lord is with me like a dread warrior; therefore my persecutors will stumble, and they will not prevail. They will be greatly shamed, for they will not succeed. Their eternal dishonor will never be forgotten. Verse 12O Lord of hosts, you test the righteous, you see the heart and the mind; let me see your retribution upon them, for to you I have committed my cause. Verse 13Sing to the Lord; praise the Lord! For he has delivered the life of the needy from the hands of evildoers.
Devotion
I was struck by the opening words of the reading: “O Lord, you have enticed me, and I was enticed.” They carry deep emotion. Jeremiah makes it clear that everything began with God—a call so strong he could not resist, almost as if he were saying, “You persuaded me, Lord,” or even, “You deceived me.” It reveals the tension of his calling—caught between God’s difficult message and a people unwilling to hear it. He had tried to remain silent, but God’s word burned within him like fire, and he could not hold it in. He kept going because he trusted that God would deliver.
I can relate. I feel called to preach, and it is tempting to say only what people want to hear. Yet something stirs within me—I cannot stay quiet. God’s word compels me.
Don’t we all feel this tension at times—in our congregation, community, and beyond—between speaking truth and softening the message? Still, we hold onto God’s promise and keep going.
Prayer
Gracious and persistent God, you call us even when your call feels heavy. Like Jeremiah, we resist, yet your word burns within us and cannot be silenced. Give us courage to speak your truth. Turn our fear into trust and our silence into faithful witness. Amen.
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