This morning I read in Jeremiah 15:18-21: “Why is my pain unending and my wound grievous and incurable?…Therefore this is what the Lord says: ‘If you repent, I will restore you that you may serve me; if you utter worthy, not worthless words, you will be my spokesman…I will save you from the hands of the wicked and deliver you from the grasp of the cruel.”

In this passage Jeremiah accused God of not helping him when he really needed it. Jeremiah had taken his eyes off God’s purposes and was feeling sorry for himself. He was angry, hurt, depressed and afraid. I know I have certainly felt that way, have you? Have you ever wondered where God was or why you are enduring pain? Here we see that in prayer, we can reveal our deepest thoughts to God. God expects us to trust Him, no matter what. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight.” (Prov 3:5-6)

God didn’t get angry at Jeremiah; He answered by rearranging Jeremiah’s priorities. As God’s mouthpiece, he was to influence the people, not let them influence him. The best way to do that is to keep our eyes on the Lord. “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With Him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” (Ps. 16:8)

I have struggled with depression at different times in my life, so I definitely understand how Jeremiah felt. But I have also found that if I keep my eyes on Jesus and the eternal life in heaven set before us, even in difficult times, I have joy within my heart. “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18)