Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

Frustration tinged with fear had him hitting his knees. Again. It wasn’t the first time. It wouldn’t be the last. Similar circumstances had elicited similar conversations in the past. It was likely to happen in the future. He simply couldn’t understand, couldn’t wrap his finite mind around the apparent injustice. From where he stood, evil was winning. Handily. Living in luxury and opulence while righteousness struggled to survive. While he struggled to survive. Literally. If the powers in charge had their way, Jeremiah wouldn’t see another day. So here he was, on his knees, talking to God. Again. 

Although the words came straight from God’s lips to his ears, Jeremiah’s preaching and prophesying wasn’t garnering a lot of friendships. It didn’t come as a surprise. He’d been warned. God hadn’t hidden anything when He called Jeremiah to preach. He told him it would be exactly this way. People would fight against his words. Push back against his teachings. Plan his demise when he didn’t shut up. It happened that exact way. His words had been met with acrid distaste. Openly they rebuked him. Privately they plotted against him. Yet none of it stopped Jeremiah from doing his job. Even when they didn’t listen to his words. Even when they didn’t heed his warnings. Even when the threat of death became imminent. Jeremiah chose to obey God. Even when he didn’t understand. And there was a lot he didn’t understand. About the people to whom he ministered. About the God for whom he worked. (Jeremiah 11:18-23)

The people weren’t listening. At all. Not that they ever had been. They hadn’t. Ever. They heard the words coming out of his mouth. They understood the teachings as they crossed his lips. They comprehended the correct course of action to take. But they didn’t listen. They didn’t change. They didn’t turn from evil to good. Not when their lives were at stake. Not when their souls hung in the balance. Not when their future dangled at the end of a disturbingly frayed thread. No matter his words, whatever his warnings, nothing changed. Ever. The people heard but didn’t listen, understood but didn’t heed. Instead, they seemed to grow increasingly worse. Jeremiah didn’t understand it.  

Why do the wicked always prosper? Why do those living lives of selfish, faithlessness succeed? Why do evil, dishonest, cunning people grow wealthy and comfortable? Why are they rewarded with lives of luxury and ease? Why does there appear to be no punishment for giving God lip service, yet still following the desires of their own sin-darkened hearts? How could their physical lives be so materially blessed when their spiritual hearts were so clearly unworthy? Why were they receiving blessings and he received cursing? If God is good and righteous and just, how could one explain the disparity? (Jeremiah 12:1-4; 20:7-10)

Overwhelming his mind with their swirling barrage, his questions had the potential to be all-consuming. Unaddressed, they had the power to color his words and thoughts and actions. They had the potential to draw him away from God. Unless he addressed them with God. Alone. It would help nothing to take his complaints of injustice and unfairness to friends, neighbors or colleagues. He would find no reprieve in gathering a following of like-minded individuals to cheer him on. Not one thing would be solved or gained by angrily pacing his home, obsessing over his grievances, or comparing his circumstances to those of the ungodly. So Jeremiah wisely chose none of those options. In his frustration, in spite of all the things he could have done, Jeremiah chose to do the same thing. Every single time. Jeremiah took his questions, his grievances, his frustrations, and simply had a conversation with God. Alone. 

So did Habakkuk. His entire Old Testament book is a written account of his conversations with God. His complaints. God’s answers. From a place of frustration, Habakkuk cries out a litany of questions to God. Why were his prayers not being answered? Why was God allowing injustice to flourish? At what point did wrongdoing become tolerable? Was God blind to what was going on around him? Destruction, violence, strife and conflict flooded the land. Where is the God Habakkuk knows to be holy and righteous, pure and just? Can He not see the mess on earth? Justice had died. Wickedness was prospering. The righteous were in jeopardy. And God wasn’t doing anything. Or so it seemed. Had He forsaken His people? Would He reject them forever? Was a day coming when God would rectify the situation and redeem the wasted days? What, exactly, was the plan here? Habakkuk didn’t know, couldn’t see it, but he didn’t waste his time worrying and fretting alone in his house, discussing his concerns with friends, or accruing a group of sympathizers. Habakkuk took his frustrations, his grievances, his concerns, and simply had a conversation with God. Alone.  

The conversation didn’t change the situation. It changed Habakkuk. In the three short chapters of his book, there is no record of rejoicing over the current triumph of righteousness. No sweeping victory for Habakkuk and his people. No change in the moral fabric of society. Habakkuk doesn’t wait around for it, either. No. He begins with what he already knows. The Lord does great things. Always. He never fails. Ever. He delivers His people. Eventually. No matter how horrifying or terrifying or frustrating the situation, God always comes through. Habakkuk knows it. Believes it. Rejoices in it. Even when he can’t see it. When he could be pacing his house fretting, Habakkuk chooses to talk to God. Promises to wait patiently for God to act. He vows to find joy and strength in the knowledge that God will do so. He chooses to meditate on the character, the actions, the words of His God. When he could waste hours of the day constantly chewing on the things he can’t change, Habakkuk doesn’t. Instead, He talks to God. About God. And God changes Habakkuk. (Habakkuk 1-3)

You see, friend, something beautiful happens when we have conversations with God. Two-way conversations. Speaking and listening. On both sides. We can’t forget either. So often we do. We get so wrapped up in the Biblical pouring out of our hearts to the Lord, that we forget the other side of the conversation. We forget to listen. We forget to hear what God has to say about our situation. We skip His response, therefore forfeiting His peace. We don’t really lay our burdens down so much as we carry them along throughout the day allowing them to influence our moods, our words, our actions, and our reactions. They infiltrate our conversations. And we find ourselves in discussions with people about things that could have been shelved had we bothered to have more than a one-sided conversation with God. (Psalm 62:8; 85:8)

After our rant is over, our list of questions exhausted, our tears of frustration spent, it is imperative that we stay in God’s presence and listen. He will speak. He always does. To Jeremiah. To Habakkuk. To me. To you. It might not be the words you want to hear. It might not be an immediate rectification to your complaints. It might not even be about you at all. More often than not, it will be a redirection to God Himself. His person. His power. His plan. It’s where our minds should be focusing. It’s where our souls should be resting. It’s where our hope should be placed. It’s where our peace is found. God. Alone. That’s what the Psalmist tells us. It is excellent advice. 

From the first Psalm to the last, we are exhorted to meditate on God. Only. Focus your minds and hearts to concentrate on the things of God. His statutes. His goodness. His promise. His power. All day. Every day. Good times. Bad times. Adversity and triumph. Meditate on the things of God. Talk to God. Don’t wander your house having conversations with yourself about alleged injustices, unfairness, or personal affront. Don’t post your complaints on social media for validation. Don’t doom scroll and proclaim yourself to be correct about the impending implosion of society. Don’t sit in your feelings and sing “poor me” or call your friends to wail and moan. None of that will help. Talk. To. God. Alone. Bring your concerns, complaints, and confusion to Him.Then listen. Hear Him speak. Allow God to guide your thoughts to a place of peace and trust, hope and faith, rest and reassurance. He will. He has a history of doing so. When His people choose to eschew the earthly options and simply have a two-way conversation with God. (Psalm 1:3; 63:6; 77:10-12; 119:15, 23, 27, 97, 99, 148; 130:5-7; 143:5; 145:5; Philippians 4:6; )