The Link Between the Young and the Broken

Young Jeremiah's world would become a whirlwind in a single day. No, he wasn't chosen to cast in an MTV special. It wasn't that kind of "real world". It was much bigger than that. Instead, it was a not-so-casual assignment by God to just walk into the town of Israel and proclaim to everyone that they were the equivalent of prostitutes. That's the assignment?! God must have been pretty impressed with Jeremiah's resume and brought "LinkedIn" to another level, when he picked Jeremiah for this incredibly difficult advertising job. It would be far better to dance into the 20th century to Powerbeats in LA, flipping a mattress sale sign, wearing an elf costume than to take on this assignment. Everyone would hate him. Who was he to judge? He pled with God to consider his age and his lack of experience with public speaking, but the command was given. It was not a request. It was his destiny.

God reminded Jeremiah "I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations". (Jeremiah 1:4)Oh how he may have wished for Katy Perry's job to sing on stage, cry on reality TV about how stressful life is, and make "left shark" trend. The “whoahs” of today's youth. However, this young prophet needed courage, words, and a pretty powerful backer to make these public accusations. And who is bigger than the creator Himself to touch Jeremiah's lips and provide him the very speech that would change history. Here is how the job brief went down "Listen Jeremiah!, everyone in this land - the kings of Judah, the officials, the priests, and the people, will be against you. But today I am giving you the strength to resist them. They will not defeat you, for I will be with you to protect you". (Jeremiah 1:18-19)

This can’t be good. The king, politicians, even the town's religious leaders would be against Jeremiah. With only the courage God can give, Jeremiah (the young) entered the town of Israel (the broken). Here's how it may have gone down, Jeremiah, armed with God's "WikiLeaks", didn't hide behind a monitor like an internet troll, but instead marched into town with the power of words. God's message to Israel was simple "I remember how faithful you were when you were young, how you loved me... you belonged to me (Jeremiah 2:2) But my people have exchanged me, the God who brought them honour for gods that can do nothing for them. He then went on to say "Even if you washed with the strongest soap, I would still see the stain of your guilt. He goes on to compare Israel to a camel in heat, a prostitute, and an unfaithful wife. If you thought Trump was bad on Twitter, this really topped the cake. Who is this young Jeremiah to condemn us? In modern day, people would flock to social media and Google to research this prophet. 5 things you need to know about Jeremiah (his secrets, his background, his family (interviews pending) and here lies the rub...

Who am I to write this blog? And How can WE write, sing, pray, worship, EVEN praise when we know of our own sin. No we may not worship false gods on the hilltops, but we have sold ourselves to other things that aren't God. We have put all our eggs in empty baskets and they broke. We end up alone, unwashed, stained, trashed, stoned and broken until maybe a youth comes with a message... It’s simple, come back home.