God will give us the courage and strength

 

Thus says the Lord. “Oh turn back. Reform your ways and your deeds.” But they will say, “It is hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans and each of us will act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart.”

Jeremiah 18.11-12 NAS95

The people of Judah had sworn to be God’s people: champions of the poor, guardians of the widow and orphan, lovers of God and their neighbor. Instead, they exploited the poor and ignored the cries of the powerless. They loved only their own appetites and defended only their own self-righteousness.

Jeremiah the prophet had preached, confronted, editorialized and wept before the people calling them to face the truth about themselves and turn back to justice and compassion.

He called them to turn back to God who promised to lead them to freedom from the darkness of self-absorption. When the people could no longer ignore the prophet or rationalize away their misdeeds, they simply threw up their hands and said, “It’s hopeless! For we are going to follow our own plans.”

I can’t change. I’ve gone too far. I can’t see the way back let alone imagine how I will get there.

Embracing hopelessness is a deadly mistake. Accepting despair cuts us off from the love of God and everyone else, leaving us imprisoned in ourselves. It springs from the same root as all our other poor choices, a fixation on us, our perspectives and our resources. Jesus did not make food out of thin air when he fed 5,000 people. Some little kid took the hopeless risk that giving up his small lunch would feed himself and his whole village if only he gave it to Jesus.

Magical thinking occurs when we mistake wishing for faith. There is no magic to spiritual renewal and personal change, but there are miracles. Miracles occur when we take the risk of that first step out of the darkness toward the Truth.

Faith trusts that God will give us the courage and strength we need to stay the course. Faith is the courage to accept forgiveness and move on when we stumble on the way. Faithful choices trust that God will make a way where there is no way!

Each month a member of the Cook County Ministerium will offer Spiritual Reflections. This month’s contributor is Pastor Dave Harvey, who has served as pastor of Grand Marais Evangelical Free Church since February of 2008.