How to make sense of our lives (Jer 9:12-26)
Jer 9:12-26 When disaster strikes, whether on a grand scale (e.g. war, earthquake, flood) or on a personal level (illness, loss of a loved one, misfortune), the most commonly asked question is ‘why’. Why, God? Why me? Why now? Why…
Is God really a harsh judge? (Jer 8:18-9:11)
Jer 8:18-22; 9:1-11 When I was in my early teens, my Dad started teaching me English. As I had a flare for languages, I often depended on it to carry me through rather than on doing the work. As a…
How God’s truth becomes blunted (Jer 8:1-17)
Jer 8:1-17 An old song from the seventies describes an extra-marital affair and concludes with the plaintive refrain, ‘How can this be wrong when it feels so right?’.[1] At least the lyrics acknowledge that such a liaison is wrong, or…
Recognising and healing our blind spots (Jer 7:16-8:3)
Jer 7:16-34; 8:1-3 A former colleague shared his experiences after a visit to India where one of his Western team members became exasperated with the way Indian Christians still maintained the caste distinctions in their church context. ‘Why can’t you…
How truth can become a self-serving lie (Jer 7:1-15)
Jer 7:1-15 The great truth of the Reformation was the understanding that our salvation and relationship with God are based on His grace alone. We can come to God because He redeemed us from our self-centred way of life through…
God’s attempts at rescue and the anguish of judgment (Jer 6:16-30)
Jer 6:16-30 A university friend’s sister was suicidal and sometimes also slashed her wrists to ease her internal pain. When my friend tried to reason with her to get help from a professional counsellor, the sister refused. She was really…
What it takes to hear and speak truth (Jer 6:1-15)
Jer 6:1-15 Some years ago, a counsellor friend enrolled in a course to learn about drama techniques in therapy. Seeing the enormous impact of such practises in the group on the training programme, a question niggled at her. ‘Aren’t you…
Can a righteous person save a city? (Jer 5:1)
Jer 5:1 When faced with the overwhelming problems and needs of this world, as they come to us through news media, mission organisations or charities, we may feel utterly helpless. What difference can our contributions make? I’ll never forget the…
Can we trust God’s verdict? (Jeremiah 5)
Jer 5:1-31 A friend who had young children shared how her sister always criticised her parenting, forever preaching about the need to be consistent with them. Of course, there are no better parents than people without children – at least…
A glimpse into the heart of God (Jer 4:19-31)
Jer 4:19-31 One of the things that many readers find hard about the Old Testament is the description of God as wrathful and vengeful, full of fury and anger. We imagine unrestrained human rage, unreasonable, implacable, and vindictive, but despite…