Jeremiah the prophet had a deeply unpopular (many of his countrymen would have said “unpatriotic”) message. He urged Israel to face reality, and cooperate with the powerful invading Babylonian army (see, for example, Jeremiah 27:1-22). Most Israelites, especially the kings, hated and persecuted him for that. Jeremiah spoke bluntly to God about the awful pain he felt as an outcast.

• Most Israelites had forsaken God’s ways, but still wanted to claim God’s protection and favor (cf. Jeremiah 7:5-11). When Jeremiah exposed their wicked actions, they blamed him for speaking out, instead of looking within to see if his message was true. Have you had some part of your way of life challenged, either by a human speaking for God or by God’s Spirit working directly in your heart? How do you stay open to let God call you to a “course correction” when you need one?
• Does it shock you that Jeremiah spoke to God in such a blunt, pained way? In Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference? Phillip Yancey told of a hospice chaplain who met a distraught patient in the final stages of cancer. The patient said his hope of eternal life was gone—he’d spent the previous night ranting and swearing at God. The chaplain asked, “Do you know the Christian word that describes what you were doing? The word is ‘prayer’—you spent the night praying.” “Our no-holds outbursts,” Yancey concluded, “hardly threaten God.”