This morning I read Jeremiah chapter 30 and decided it should be required reading for all who cry to the Lord for help. Jeremiah reminds us that the Lord our God is strong to save us, but that salvation will come with great difficulty and pain. Verse seven declares:
How awful that day will be!
None will be like it.
It will be a time of trouble for Jacob,
but he will be saved out of it.
Salvation is not easy. Just as Israel was surrounded by her enemies, so we as Christians are surrounded by sinful and worldly things we must extricate ourselves from. Indeed, we have partaken in those things and their removal from our lives is very painful. This is seen in verse eleven:
‘I am with you and will save you,’
declares the Lord.
‘Though I completely destroy all the nations
among which I scatter you,
I will not completely destroy you.
I will discipline you but only with justice;
I will not let you go entirely unpunished.‘
Again we see the combination of salvation and punishment. Yet no matter how extensive the hurt or pain, the Lord is greater than what we face. Verses 12-15 describe the pain of an “incurable” wound and the shame of many sins. After this description, verse 17 continues without hesitation:
‘But I will restore you to health
and heal your wounds,’
declares the Lord,
‘because you are called an outcast,
Zion for whom no one cares.’
God can cure the incurable wound. Even though our sins “are more than the hairs of my head” (Psalm 40:12), God can number those hairs (Matthew 10:30) and will forgive every sin. God’s salvation and healing is not easy. In fact, submitting to God’s will hurts because it defies our human desires. But we can rest assured that the Lord loves us and will never stop fighting for us:
The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back
until he has executed and accomplished
the intentions of his mind.
In the latter days you will understand this.
