The Bittersweet Call of God
Jane Denniston
June 23, 2026
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Jeremiah 20: 7-13 (NIV-UK)
7 You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived;
you overpowered me and prevailed.
I am ridiculed all day long;
everyone mocks me.
8 Whenever I speak, I cry out
proclaiming violence and destruction.
So the word of the Lord has brought me
insult and reproach all day long.
9 But if I say, ‘I will not mention his word
or speak any more in his name,’
his word is in my heart like a fire,
a fire shut up in my bones.
I am weary of holding it in;
indeed, I cannot.
10 I hear many whispering,
‘Terror on every side!
Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!’
All my friends
are waiting for me to slip, saying,
‘Perhaps he will be deceived;
then we will prevail over him
and take our revenge on him.’11 But the Lord is with me like a mighty warrior;
so my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.
They will fail and be thoroughly disgraced;
their dishonour will never be forgotten.
12 Lord Almighty, you who examine the righteous
and probe the heart and mind,
let me see your vengeance on them,
for to you I have committed my cause.13 Sing to the Lord!
Give praise to the Lord!
He rescues the life of the needy
from the hands of the wicked.
I really feel for Jeremiah. The hound of heaven has him securely in its jaws and there is no escape. Like many people called by God, Jeremiah is in a bind, I can’t do this … but I can’t NOT do this! Can you sympathise with Jeremiah? Have you ever been called to do something that seemed utterly terrifying or impossible, yet you knew there was no way out but through? It’s a bittersweet experience – the privilege of being called by God, and the difficulty of doing what he calls us to.
Yet, like the psalmist, Jeremiah doesn’t turn against the God who has placed this enormous burden upon him. He has faith in the God who has called him, faith in the God whose cause he promotes, and faith that it will be his persecutors who will be put to shame in the final reckoning. Jeremiah’s last words in this passage are words of praise, but praise rooted in faith, not fact.
Prayer:
Calling God,
when you ask us to do the seemingly impossible
help us to have faith that nothing is impossible for you.
When your hand lies heavy upon us
remind us that your yoke is easy
and your burden light.
When we are tempted to close our eyes
and stop our ears
against your call,
give us strength and courage to speak out
as Jeremiah did
in faith that you have our back, Amen.
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