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Enjoy Life, Enjoy God


Dale Patterson

JEREMIAH'S GRIPE

March 3, 2009

As Jeremiah bears his message: a call to repentance and a call to faith, he finally gets his belly full and cries out to God; he gripes. He doesn't understand how people faithful to God have it so hard, and the wicked prosper. He grumbles that faithfulness doesn't seem very popular, yet the unfaithful get all the breaks. 

If you have raced with people of foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses?
If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?
- Jeremiah 12:5 TNIV

God answers Jeremiah's gripe. It's the words of a wise, but stern coach. "Times have been easy on you and the people, Jeremiah, yet you've stumbled along. You want great things, great accomplishments, high and mighty goals--that's great! But you haven't been setting records in the Rookie Leagues. What makes you think you're ready for the Major League?"

But God isn't done with Jeremiah, or you and me. Today, we're living in troubled waters, and they may become more so. "If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?" The answer--if we choose to accept it--is to press forward in faithfulness today, safe country or not. Then maybe we'll be ready to race with the horses!

Joyfully,

Dale Patterson