Jeremiah 8:21

I hurt with the hurt of my people. I mourn and am overcome with grief.

The power of Jeremiah’s prophecy lies in the fact that he didn’t stand at a distance from the people. Their hurts were his hurts, and he described himself as being heartbroken and having grief that was beyond healing (Jeremiah 8:18). He knew that they were suffering because they had abandoned God’s way and had found other gods. As a result, they were just about to be defeated by an enemy who would come from the north and overwhelm them.

Jeremiah was in such a state of distress that he cried out: “If only my head were a pool of water and my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night for all my people who have been slaughtered” (Jeremiah 9:1).

Leaders of God’s people should never stand at a distance from the people they are serving. If they are to be faithful to their calling, they will share the joys and the sorrows of the people among whom they minister. They will feel the pain of their failure and disobedience and long, with Jeremiah, that they will find forgiveness and restoration. The privilege of leading God’s people is enormous, but the weight of it is very great.

I am always a little anxious when people tell me that Christian leaders need to have a thick skin. If they mean that they need to be strong and resilient in the face of large pressures and difficulties, I agree. If they mean that Christian leaders need to be totally untouched and untroubled by the challenges they face, then I fundamentally disagree. Jeremiah entered fully into the tragic situation that faced him. The people rejected his message from God, and he felt the pain of that so profoundly that he was in a state of constant distress. We need to pray that Christian leaders will love people so much that they will fully identify with them in the way that Jeremiah did.

Question

How does the example of Jeremiah help you to pray for the Christian leaders you know?

Prayer

Loving God, we thank you for all Christian leaders. Help them to give their whole selves to the people they serve. Amen