Jeremiah 15:16 When your words came, I ate them;
    they were my joy and my heart’s delight,
for I bear your name,
    Lord God Almighty.

Being called and used by God can be a mixed bag! Jeremiah is recognized as one of the great prophets of history, but his personal life was very far from being a picnic. In verse 10 he laments having been born, because his obedience to God stirs up society, and he suffers the consequences. On that score, in the last part of this chapter God assures him that his enemies will be unable to conquer him, so he needs to be at peace with that. He finally was stoned to death in Egypt by his own people, who had fled to Egypt in direct violation of what Jeremiah had told them from God, but by that point, I’m sure he was more than ready to leave this life. The pain of the rocks was no fun, but the glory of what came after than more than compensated! All that said, this verse tells us what sustained Jeremiah throughout his ministry. He loved hearing from God, and his relationship with God was more personal than most people can dream of. The turn of phrase here is interesting: eating God’s Word. That seems odd to us, but when we eat something we take it in, absorb the nutrients in it, and it becomes part of us. That was Jeremiah’s experience with what God said to him, either through the Torah or directly to his heart. We can have the same experience, actually, because we have much more Bible than Jeremiah had available to him. And even today, God isn’t limited to speaking through the printed Word, but speaks to us in many ways. If we recognize His voice and take in His words, as Jeremiah did, then it will be a joy and pleasure to us just as it was to Jeremiah. However, there is a precondition to that: we have to be committed to do whatever God says to us, just as Jeremiah did. If we aren’t going to obey God, why would He speak to us? The world’s reaction to us probably won’t be as severe as it was to Jeremiah, but it could be. We need to be decided ahead of time that intimacy with God is more than worth it, and be as committed to Him as Jeremiah was.

I haven’t been involved in as much turmoil as Jeremiah was, but I can certainly identify with this verse! What is most exciting is that the sister who spoke this past Sunday obviously feels the same way. She has my spiritual DNA! Every believer needs to fall more and more in love with God, and that includes taking in what He says to us, digesting it, and making it part of us. I am to be a man of the Word, just as I am a man of words, and I need to be an open channel for God to speak through. I’m no Jeremiah, but if my speaking God’s words causes conflict, so be it. I can’t claim to love Jesus if I don’t do what He says to me! (John 14:15) However, I have tasted the joy Jeremiah spoke of, and I am totally addicted. It is a blessed addiction indeed!

Father, thank You for this reminder, and for the joy of taking in Your Word. May I recognize what You are saying whenever You speak to me, however You do it, so that I may be fully useful in Your hands, accomplishing Your will on Your schedule for Your glory. Thank You. Hallelujah!