Title: The Prayer of people and the Prayer of Jeremiah
If we look at Jeremiah 14:1, a severe drought came to the land. The main cause of this drought was due to the corruption and graft of King Jehoiakim and his ministers was too great. Rather than faithfully worshipping God, they established idols and worshipped them. The relationship between men and women became so ungodly. The people of Judah forsaken God and followed their own wisdom and tricks to earn money, and scammed people to get money out of their pockets. Furthermore, King Jehoiakim killed Prophet Uriah and put Prophet Jeremiah in a dried well. All the scrolls that other prophets wrote the Word of God for him, he torn them down and burnt them on fire. When the fate of the nation was declining and being overflown by fullness of sin, Prophet Jeremiah was the only awaken one who prayed and interceded to God for his people and nation. By studying the time of Jeremiah, we may be able to glimpse about what the cause is, and what we should do to overcome this time of difficulty.
- The Prayer of people
Jeremiah 14 consisted of two parts of prayer or intercessions. The first part of prayer is v7-9. For certain, this is the prayer done by Jeremiah. However, this part of prayer represents how the people of Judah prayed to God in the time of difficulty. It is a prayer of desperation. The people of Judah were really crying out to God that there is no other hope but God, and were looking for God’s help. However, we can also sense that it is the prayer of blaming God. They provoked God saying “If You are mighty, can you not save us? If You are dwelling with us, how can You not notice and deliver us? Do you not care about us anymore?
God responded saying that He will remember their iniquities and call their sins to account for (Jeremiah 14:10). Furthermore, God said to Prophet Jeremiah, “Do not pray for the welfare of this people.” He also said that He will judge the people with sword, famine and pestilence (Jeremiah 14:11-12).
Rev Abraham Park said that God has two characteristics. The first is He has to be feared. The second is He is close to us. In our prayer, we have to have this fear of God (Exodus 19:18-19). God is the friend of sinner and our friend, but we are not to take advantage of Him. We cannot be so chilled and casual with Him in our prayers.
We have to respect, fear and revere when we pray to God. And another point we should be aware is that all these frightening and scary scenes are for God to dwell with us. God loves us and He is with us. So, in our prayer, we should feel that He loves us and He is next to us hearing our prayer. Rev Abraham Park said that where there are proper respect and love towards God, there is peace, the peaceful relationship between God and us. The people of Judah prayed to God in the time of the drought but their attitude towards God was so unrespectful and casual, they even tried to blame God for no resolution being given. If our prayers were like theirs, let us repent and renew our prayer today.
2. The prayer of Jeremiah
The second part of prayer is v19-22
Main characteristic of Jeremiah’s intercession:-
- He confessed and repented of all the sins (Jeremiah 14:20)
What does it mean to repent for the iniquities of our fathers? It means he carried all the sins that other people committed and repented.
When Daniel prayed for the nation, he also repented for the sins that his ancestors committed. And while he was repenting of these sins, God’s answer came to Daniel (Daniel 9:20-21). It is so clear that in this time of difficulty, we should repent before God not only for the sins I committed but for the sins others committed as well. When we confess and are willing to carry them in our prayer, God will hear our prayer and will answer us shortly.
- He confessed that God is the only One (Jeremiah 14:22)
The people’s attitude was like ‘God, You should save us and deliver us from this painful drought’; and the attitude of Jeremiah is like ‘God, You are the only One we can come and seek help from, please have mercy and help us.’
When we go into an operation room, although physically it is a surgeon who is operating on us yet we believe that God will heal us through the hands of the surgeon.
Likewise, medicine and vaccine must be developed as soon as possible, yet it is God who uses the researchers’ hands to invent the vaccine.
Jeremiah 2:32-33 “Can a virgin forget her ornaments, Or a bride her attire? Yet My people have forgotten Me Days without number. 33 “How well you prepare your way To seek love! Therefore even the wicked women You have taught your ways.
Here, God says that “Can a virgin forget her ornaments?” The love towards her love should not be forgotten. However, the people of Israel forgot the love and only when they need love again, they decorate them again. This is selfish love and selfish faith. We should trust God all the time, not only when we need something from God. Prophet Hosea warned against the people who have the selfish faith and who only seek God when they need something from God.
Conclusion
Prayer is the only way
In this time of difficulty, we have to pray because without prayer, all stop and nothing moves forward. However, when we pray, let us pray with the right attitude so that we may see God’s answer in our lives.
God is willing to heal us and save us for sure. Let us repent by carrying all the sins so that God may not be a stranger who passes by but the one who dwells in our houses and lives in us forever.
The Lord's Covenant Church Malaysia 