Sermonette: God (probably) doesn't want to bail you out

God (probably) doesn’t want to bail you out

by Joe Greiner

Evangelical Free Church

In Jeremiah chapter 15, we come across some of the most painful language Jeremiah ever uses to describe his situation.

Why has my pain been perpetual And my wound incurable, refusing to be healed? Will you indeed be to me a deceptive stream With water that is unreliable?

Jeremiah 15:18

Jeremiah is in anguish because his calling to be God’s prophet has led to an extreme isolation. Everyone hates him. In the nation, he is entirely alone and despised by all. He has no patience for their sin, and they have no patience for his ‘doom and gloom’ messages. So, he suffers the pain of absolute loneliness, and calls out to the only one who will take his messages: God.

Now, if we were God, what would we do? Perhaps send a friend. Give him a loyal puppy dog to keep him company. Send him on vacation, perhaps? Maybe even offer him an out. In other words, we would attempt to help him out of his loneliness.

However, God takes a different track. God calls Jeremiah to return. He calls Jeremiah to put aside the “worthless;” God’s word for Jeremiah’s complaining. If Jeremiah can put aside his complaining, God will continue to use him as a prophet.

God offers Jeremiah only one thing: reinforcement. God promises Jeremiah that if Jeremiah straightens himself out and stops the whining, that God will enable Jeremiah to endure all the attacks he’s facing. God will make Jeremiah like an armored tower, able to withstand everything thrown at him.

See, our God is not the kind of God who bails people out, usually. Most often, God seems to prefer to enable us to endure whatever trial we’re going through. I’m sure we’d prefer if God was more like a helicopter, capable of swooping in, and pulling us out of any situation, but I don’t see that in the Bible. Joseph went to prison. The Israelites suffered for 400 years of slavery. David was betrayed and hunted by Saul. The enemies of Israel were never destroyed, but harassed them through the nation’s existence. Elijah and Elisha were persecuted constantly by the kings. I know God can, and does do all things; but he seems to favor giving his followers the strength to endure, rather than bailing them out.

So, my challenge is to pray like this. When I spend quiet, one on one time with God, my temptation is to pray for God to fix stuff. Which is a prayer that usually is answered, ‘uh, no.’ Instead, I ought to pray “God, give me the strength to endure. Foster the maturity to move through this. Encourage the stamina to hold on.” Those are prayers I’m suspecting God delights to answer. Because they’re promises God has already made.