Nancy N. Rue's Blog, page 6

To Whom Shall I Speak?: Part 3

 

Did you miss Part 1  and Part 2? 

Yesterday we pondered --okay, I whined about! -- whether it truly, realistically is enough to follow what God says to Jeremiah (15:19): "If you utter what is precious, you shall serve as my mouth."

I want that. All of us who are Nudged want that. Want it? We LONG for it. And doesn't it sound so real? It seriously is what we try to do -- and so, of course, why wouldn't we be rewarded? W can relax.

Or not.

You'd think after that conversation Jeremiah would be good to go.

And yet --

There's a big ol' plot against him (18:18-23). God says keep going.

He's persecuted by the priest Pashhur (son of Immer, in case that helps you place him). We're talking beatings and the stocks. Jeremiah doesn't give up.

How can he? By this time, he says, "I am weary with holding it in and I cannot." (20:9)

He's still hollering "Woe is me," but he keeps at the thing -- with King Zedekiah and the House of David, and the sons of Josiah, like the ever popular King Jehoiachin. (And I'm thinking my daughter was right when at age 7 she said she thought Dr. Seuss must have written the Bible.)

It's a tough gig. But the news isn't all bad. God shows Jeremiah that there are some good figs (24:1010), though mind you, Jeremiah doesn't see many of them. Everybody in the temple takes hold of the poor guy and says, "You shall die!"I gotta say, things aren't looking THAT bad for me. What's a dismal royalty statement compared to that?

I read on, though and here's what I found interesting. God keeps saying to Jeremiah, "These people aren't going to listen to you," and yet God also keeps giving him object lessons to use to get the message across. Wads of clay. JARS of clay. He even makes Jeremiah wear a yoke, for Pete's sake (chapter 27) 

Huh. Doesn't God just keep giving me stories to tell, even as he refuses to promise me that the required number of people will read them?

I kept plowing through Jeremiah's book, and finally, things began to turn around. Jeremiah gets to promise the exiles that they will be brought back home. We receive the famous comforting words, "I know the plans I have for you . . . plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope." (29:11). And the not as well-known but perhaps even more reassuring verse -- "I will let you find me, says the Lord."  

And then God says the words I have spent hours searching for amid stuff that makes you want to reach for the Prozac. God says,

"There is a reward for your work."

Like Jeremiah, I question that. But as God said to Jeremiah, God also says to me:

"I am the Lord, the God of all, flesh. Is anything too hard for me?" (32:26)

What are we to say to that?

To whom shall we speak? The audience, the figs, are there. A remnant, maybe, but I -- like all of us - can't stop putting out there what God is giving us to say -- whether we're "confined in the court of the guard" by dismal sales, and our scrolls are burned in bookstore returns to the publisher. Maybe we'll feel imprisoned by the lack of new contracts or whatever stands in the way of our nudged ministries, or stuck in the bottom of a cistern of debt.

But if we keep telling the truth, someone will hear. If we obey the Nudge of the Lord, it shall go well with us (38:20) Some people will come around, those who are meant to hear the message, "Don't stay where you think it's safe. Risk obedience." (chapter 42). Others won't. We gotta leave that up to God.

As a matter of fact, God is very clear on that. He says to Baruch (who wrote everything down for Jeremiah), "Do you seek great things for yourself? Do not seek for them I will give you your life as a prize."

      That is when Jeremiah's career as a prophet really takes off. The judgments, on everybody from Egypt to Babylon, roll out of him in seven chapters of poetic power. Nowhere does it say anyone listened or took heed or bought it. There is no evidence that anybody changed their ways because of Jeremiah's obedient message. Jerusalem was indeed destroyed, as decribed in the final chapter (52) We are given no clue to what happened to Jeremiah.

But at the very end of this disturbing story, in the last three verses, we hear about King Jehoiachin of Judah. The Babylonian king takes a liking to Jeho and brings him out of prison and "speaks kindly" to him.

Did someone hear? Did the spirit of Jeremiah's prophecy somehow get through?

After 52 chapters of Jeremiah and 111 books of my own, I have to believe so. I might continue to whine from time to time. Wail. Gnash my teeth. You may, too. But I will keep following the Nudge and find the audience. If we all do it, perhaps we'll have the honor of being God's mouth.

Blessings,

Nancy Rue

           

To Hold a Contest Part 3!

We’ve been so heavy into Jeremiah these last few posts, I thought we might want to lighten up a little (even though HE never did!) and run another contest. My wonderful VA (if you’ll recall, that’s Virtual Assistant, and she is far more impressive than that sounds) and I will give away 25 copies of Unexpected Dismounts AND 25 copies of The Reluctant Prophet. 

Here's how it works! If you have already read the first chapter of Unexpected Dismounts, then can skip this first step down below the chapter excerpt.  If you have not yet read it, here it is for you...see you below!

 

Unexpected Dismounts by Nancy Rue

ok! got it?  

Step 2:

So, now that you have read it answer these TWO questions in the comment field below (don't peek! that's not fair...): What is the Nudge Allison gets in this chapter & how have you been Nudged this past week?

 Step 3:

Now that you have posted your answers to the TWO questions in the comment section, email my VA (remember what that is?)  Leah at impactauthor{at}comcast{dot}net YOUR mailing address and the mailing address of a friend who you think would be encouraged by this series.

The FIRST 25 FOLKS will receive a copy of Unexpected Dismounts for themselves and a copy of Reluctant Prophet will be sent to your friend.  These will be personalized from me to YOU and to your FRIEND. 

Do you live outside of the US? You can participate too! Do everything above and the FIRST 5 INTL FOLKS to email my VA your email address & and email (OR DOMESTIC SHIPPING) address of your friend will also get copies! If your friend lives here in the US we will ship them a copy.

If you have already won a copy of Unexpected Dismounts we ask that you allow others a chance to win too, but would still like to know how you have been nudged this week by God, so comment away!

Hurry off now! its the first 25 of you!  Don't forget you have to leave a comment too!   Oh, this is so much fun...I love giving away stuff (thanks David C. Cook for providing the books! go give them a wave and say thanks too)

You will get a confirmation email from Leah (my VA) before the end of day on Friday (give her some time...we have a lot going on here!) October 21st if you won.

Got questions? comment below and will do our best to get those answered ASAP.  Now go on...go get yourself Nudged by God today!