You Are Not AloneChikamu

The prophet Jeremiah was known as the weeping prophet for good reason. God had sent him to declare judgment on a people who would not listen to him. Jeremiah witnessed his prophecies come true with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and helplessly watched the Babylonians lead the people of God into exile. He had many reasons to be down.

Understandably, Jeremiah’s message was not well received by the Israelites. At the beginning of Jeremiah 20, Pashhur, the priest, heard Jeremiah prophesying and had Jeremiah beaten and put in the stocks. Jeremiah was doing what God had commanded, yet he suffered for doing so. He followed God’s call and still suffered alone. According to verse 7, Jeremiah felt deceived by God.

Then, in verse 14, Jeremiah cursed the day of his birth. More than wanting to die, Jeremiah and Job wished that they had never been born, implying that they wished that they had never existed in the first place. They would never have experienced the joys of marriage, children or the satisfaction of knowing God’s salvation. This is a more profound depression than what Elijah experienced. Jeremiah and Job not only wished to die, they wished that they had never existed in the first place.

Many of those who struggle with suicide just want the pain to stop. They feel as though their best days are all behind them. It is not wrong to hurt and despair to the point of wishing it all would end. But Jesus loves you, and He understands your pain. After all, he was human, too.

We must see that no matter how bad things got for Jeremiah, he never once lost faith in God. He complained to God about his circumstances, but never once doubted that God loved him and was with him in his dark valley. The same is true for you. You can (and should) complain to God when you are suffering. He wants you to cry out to Him. He wants you to know that He is in the valley with you. You are not alone.