Curious little chapter Jeremiah 45 is. Only 5 verses and far from uplifting. Jeremiah is talking to Baruch during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign. Baruch is belly aching about how bad things are. “These are bad times for me. It’s one thing after another”. Have those words ever come from your mouth? Have you ever experienced the frustration of things just not quite working the way you wish they would. He continues “God is piling on the pain”. Man I am starting to feel sympathetic here. Poor Baruch is overwhelmed. He is experiencing some tough times and is really singing the blues. “I’m worn out and there’s no end in sight”. That about does it for me. I have been there and done that. Cried in my soup and whined about it all the day long. Life is tough even on good days isn’t it. Baruch has it a bit tough. I am in that boat some days too. But God’s response then is really the same as it is for us today….
God says”Look around. What I’ve built I’m about to wreck…to rip up….everywhere”. Do you get this? God is the creator and it is in His dominion to make changes as He sees fit to His world. I know that there are days when I have convinced myself that I am in charge and it is my decision on what happens now. Not so fast. God is still in control no matter what I think. This world is not about me or what I want it to be. It si God’s and He alone will determine what happens when. But this verse is the one which struck me right in the forehead: “So forget about making any big plans for yourself”. There are actually days I convince myself that I can make plans and they will happen because I planned it that way. Hogwash! My plans only work if they align with God’s plan. My little piece of reality is only real if it is connected to His plan. Don’t get me wrong – I am a big believer in planning – but that planning has to be in sync with the Master planner. If it isn’t, I just provided Him a good laugh because what I think really doesn’t matter a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. Five little verses that put me in my place. Life is about God’s plan, not mine. Life is about Him, not me. Time I get that right!
