 1 of 4
 
AUDIO WORKSHOPFeeling Cheated by GodWhen you don't know what God is doing in your life, cling to what you do know.John Koessler
|
|
| MP3 (single message)
To download:
Right-click on the "Listen Now!" image and choose 'Save Target As …' (Mozilla users choose 'Save Link As …').
|
| |
|
|
|
I am not a great fan of figure skating. But I have to say that, like the rest of the world, some time ago I watched with riveted attention during the Winter Olympics as the scandal unfolded around Jamie Salé and David Pelletier. They were the Canadian team that skated in the pairs competition and were initially awarded the silver medal. Salé and Pelletier thought they had won the gold, and so did everyone else. When the scores were announced, the crowd that was looking on erupted in boos, and slow-motion footage of the team that had won the gold only made the controversy worse when it showed that the Russian team had made three mistakes that should have cost them points. Later, it was revealed that the French judge had been pressured to award the gold medal to the Russian team. A cheating judge—imagine that.
A cheating judge may seem like an oxymoron, but what if the judge is God? A cheating God is even more unthinkable. And yet, did you know that Jeremiah, one of God's most faithful servants, once complained that he had been cheated by God? And he's not the only one. Over the years, I've known many people who felt that God had dealt unfairly with them. I have to say there have been times when I've even felt it myself. And the question is: Why?
Keep talking to God no matter how painful that conversation becomes.
We know that God is good. We know that God is just. We know that God can't cheat. So why are there times we feel as if God has cheated us? The answer is simple. We feel cheated by God when he doesn't seem to live up to his end of the bargain. There are times when it feels as if God has lured us on—as though he has promised one thing and then done something else. To put it bluntly, we have times when we feel as if God has deceived us. And that is certainly how the prophet Jeremiah felt.
I want you to notice what he says in the first half of verse 7. He says, "O Lord, you deceived me, and I was deceived." What Jeremiah really has to say to God here may shock and even offend you, because the language he uses is the language of seduction and rape. This word that's translated "deceived" is used in Exodus 22:16 to refer to seduction. It says, "If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride price, and she shall be his wife." That's what Jeremiah is saying to God. He's saying: God, you seduced me. You enticed me.
It's also the word used to speak of Delilah's enticing Samson into revealing the secret of his strength. Judges 16:5 says, "The rulers of the Philistines went to her and said, 'See if you can lure him into showing you the secret of his great strength … .'" And that's what Jeremiah is saying about God. He's saying: God, you lured me into this situation. You drew me in and then you took advantage of me.
In Jeremiah 1:5 we're told that God spoke to Jeremiah saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." Imagine how it would affect you to hear God say such a thing: Before you were conceived, I was thinking about you; before you were born, I commissioned you.
Jeremiah 1:6–8 records his response to God's call. He said: "'Ah, Sovereign Lord, I don't know how to speak; I am only a child.' But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, "I am only a child." You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,' declares the Lord."
Perhaps the problem for Jeremiah was that he was selective in his hearing. Could it be that he was so excited about the promise that he would be a prophet to the nations that he missed the implied warning that he would also make enemies in the process?
Or maybe it was a question of timing with Jeremiah. Perhaps Jeremiah did realize that God's promise to be with him and rescue him also meant that he would somebody face situations that he needed to be rescued from. He just felt that God hadn't moved quickly enough. And so he thinks: Okay, God, you said that you'd be here to rescue me. Now would be a really good time for you to do that.
And we've been there and done that. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I know that Philippians 4:19 says, "my God will meet all of my needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." In time, however, I discovered that God has a different timetable for meeting my needs. And sometimes he has a different idea of what it means to meet those needs. That's a problem for me, because I have an expectation about how God is going to take care of that need and even when he is going to do it.
| 
Printer view
back to top
