August 18, 2022
. . . take out the precious from the vile . . . Jeremiah 15:19
Jeremiah was so very sad at times. Keeping a tight hold on his faith was all that he could do in the lowest days of discouragement from his countrymen. He came to the point of asking God:
Why is my pain perpetual And my wound incurable, Which refuses to be healed? Will You surely be to me like an unreliable stream, As waters that fail? (v.18)
The negative influences in our fallen world tend to pull us away from the Lord. Do not allow it! If you are feeling distant from Him, you can be sure that you are the one who moved away. His reliability is proven.
Therefore thus says the LORD: “If you return, Then I will bring you back; You shall stand before Me; If you take out the precious from the vile, you shall be as My mouth.
Jeremiah remained a faithful servant to God until his death. Notice God’s active promise: “If you . . . I will bring you back.” The bulk of Jeremiah’s life seems to have been spent in a crucible, but the LORD was with him through it all. Indeed, Jeremiah’s calling as a prophet—one who speaks for God—meant that he, Jeremiah, spoke “as My mouth” clearly and repeatedly, calling God’s people to be holy—set apart—which our enemy attempts to make unappealing. Satan relentlessly presents a parade of one worldly trinket after another, making each worthless thing seem pressing, important . . . and appealing. But the one who, by God’s grace, maintains a heavenward gaze will exercise spiritual discernment in the day-to-day, moment-by-moment choices. He will voluntarily move toward God, whose arms are wide open—and his speech will become “as My mouth” to any around him who are willing hear. There will always be the unregenerate, but we should be faithful to persevere. Paul reminds us to judge nothing before the time (1 Corinthians 4:5). Pray that every seed planted, though it lie dormant for a time, be watered, sprout, and take root. Every soul is precious to God. His Spirit is ever at work to take out the precious from the vile. Let each of us cooperate with the refinement process, knowing that our advocate and High Priest intercedes on our behalf.
For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Hebrews 4:15