Jeremiah: Bringing Every Emotion to God - April 13, 2025

Series: Teach Us to Pray: Lessons from Old Testament Prayers Scripture: Jeremiah 20:7-18 Speaker: Pastor David Hallett Everyone wants to be a success. Everyone wants to be loved. We live our lives looking for these affirmations to tell us we are on the right track. Jeremiah was a prophet sent from God. He had been chosen by God even before his birth (Jeremiah 1:5) to bring a message of judgement and punishment to the people of Judah. No one listened to him. No one repented. Instead everyone laughed at him, ridiculed him, and mocked him. Some even went so far as to beat him, imprison him, and eventually kidnap him and force him to go to Egypt against his will.  Near the beginning of his ministry in Jeremiah 20, Jeremiah was arrested, beaten, and tortured by the priest Pashhur in Jerusalem for prophesying defeat for Judah. This led Jeremiah to question many things. Where was God? Why does He keep sending me to tell messages of doom, when nothing seems to happen. Why does righteousness always seem to lead to suffering?  In the midst of his turmoil, Jeremiah pours out his heart to God. All of his emotions are on display: anger, fear, shame, and disillusionment but also trust and praise. There is much to learn from the prayer of Jeremiah, the “Weeping Prophet.” God is ready and willing to listen to us even when what we want to say to him is negative. Jeremiah’s lament teaches us to bring every emotion to God.