Be Still and Know - "I Hurt With The Hurt Of My People"

(from www.premierchristianradio.com)

1. Jeremiah 8:21
   
   
   
   
   
   'I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief.'
   
   The power of Jeremiah’s prophecy lies in the fact that he didn’t stand at a distance from the people. He completely identified himself with them. Their hurts were his hurts; he described himself as being heartbroken and having grief beyond healing. (Jeremiah 8:18). But Jeremiah knew that the Israelites were suffering in such a dreadful way because they had abandoned God’s way and followed other gods. As a result, they were about to be defeated by an enemy who would come from the north and overwhelm them. Jeremiah was in such a state of distress that he cried out: “If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for all my people who have been slaughtered.” (Jeremiah 9:1).
   
   The leaders of God’s people should never stand at a distance from those they are serving. If they are to be faithful to their calling, they will share the joys and the sorrows of the people among whom they minister. They will feel the pain of their failure and disobedience and, like Jeremiah, long for them to find forgiveness and restoration. . They will feel the pain of their failure and disobedience and, along with Jeremiah, they will find forgiveness and restoration. The privilege of leading God’s people is enormous, but the weight of it is always very great.
   
   
   
   
   
   Leading God’s people is an enormous privilege but the weight of it is always very heavy.
   
   I am always a little anxious when people tell me that Christian leaders need to have a thick skin. If they mean that they need to be strong and resilient in the face of pressure and difficulty, I agree. But if they mean that Christian leaders need to be totally untouched and untroubled by the challenges they face, then I fundamentally disagree. Jeremiah entered fully into the tragic situation that faced him. The people rejected his message from God, and he felt the pain of that so profoundly that he was in a state of constant distress. We need to pray that Christian leaders will love people so much that they will fully identify with them in the same way Jeremiah did.
   
   
   
   
   
   Question: How does the example of Jeremiah help you to pray for the Christian leaders you know?
   
   Prayer: Loving God, we thank you for all Christian leaders. Help them to give their whole selves to the people they serve. Amen