God's Prophet to Judah

At the onset of his ministry, Jeremiah felt inadequate to do the work of the Lord. No doubt he was overwhelmed by the prevalence of sin in Judah. Yet God comforted Jeremiah with the knowledge that he had been specifically chosen for this time period.

Jeremiah didn’t know it then but he would be regarded as one of the major prophets of the Old Testament. The one bright spot in his life was coming to Jerusalem and being part of the awakening that took place during King Josiah’s reign. However, the revival came to a halt with Josiah’s untimely death and it must have crushed Jeremiah’s heart when Jehoahaz returned to evil and undid every godly thing his father had done.

By this time Jeremiah was recognized as a national prophet but the different kings, princes and other rulers of Jerusalem just spent their time gaining money and power and living hedonistically. Jeremiah would prophesy for some 33 years, grieving over his people and their refusal to repent, virtually ignored by everyone until the Babylonians finally arrived just as God had predicted.

While this is not a story with a happy ending, Jeremiah can stand before God with no regrets because he did exactly what God asked of him.