Jeremiah 17:14-18

14 Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed;
Save me, and I shall be saved,
For You are my praise.
15 Indeed they say to me,

“Where is the word of the LORD?
Let it come now!”
16 As for me, I have not hurried away from being a shepherd who follows You,
Nor have I desired the woeful day;
You know what came out of my lips;
It was right there before You.
17 Do not be a terror to me;
You are my hope in the day of doom.
18 Let them be ashamed who persecute me,
But do not let me be put to shame;
Let them be dismayed,
But do not let me be dismayed.
Bring on them the day of doom,
And destroy them with double destruction!
Jeremiah 17:14-18 NKJV

“Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved.” With these words Jeremiah expresses his ultimate trust in God. He does not deny his need for healing or his need for saving. It can even be implied that he recognizes that he cannot heal or save himself. It is the Lord to whom he turns to for the healing he so desperately craves. It is God who can and will save him and upon whom Jeremiah bestows his praise. Jeremiah is challenged by the scoffers. “Where is the word of the Lord?” What proof does Jeremiah have that the words he speaks in the name of God are really God’s words? There are lots of other prophets claiming to speak in God’s name, and they speak smoother, more hopeful, words that the people like to hear. Jeremiah defends his mission, not to those who question it, but he defends it to God. Jeremiah has done his best to be a faithful shepherd, following God as he attempts to lead the sheep of Judah toward the truth. Some may think Jeremiah looks forward to the destruction he speaks of so often. Jeremiah does not desire the doom that he prophecies of, he wants to avoid the darkness and that is why he warns the heedless of what is coming from the north upon them. Has not Jeremiah spoken the words of God faithfully? Has not every word from his mouth been right before God? Jeremiah asks the Lord to take away his fear of the day of doom and to give him renewed hope. As Jeremiah is shown the future, he realizes the hopelessness of the end of Judah if his family, friends, and countrymen do not allow the Lord to heal them and save them.
For his faithfulness, Jeremiah’s countrymen persecute and torment him. His townspeople seek his death. They attempt to shame him and make his mission to be seen as lies and self aggrandizement. Jeremiah’s humanity is shown in his call for vindication and destruction of those who speak against himself and his God. Whether his spirit is totally right in this call for the shaming of his enemies, he remains faithful to the mission of warning and repentance that God has given him. Jeremiah will continue to speak God's words to his fellowmen even if they refuse to listen.

Lord,
Help me today to be faithful to You and the mission You are giving me. Help me to not be dissuaded by those who fight against me and who fight against You. Dismay any who lead Your children in doing wrong, encourage all who lead Your children to right. Help me to stand with You for Your truth. Remove my fear of the day of doom and replace it with Your peace promises.