The match is never over until the final point has been won or lost

My husband always points out that a game of tennis is never over until the final point is played. And you don’t know the final point is the final point until it has been won or lost. There is no last minute. There is no injury time. You can never say for sure when the match is definitely going to end. Even if you are two sets down and your opponent has match point, you can always turn it around. Yes, it gets harder and harder to turn it around the further behind you get, but you have the opportunity to do so right up until that final ball is played. Reading the start of Jeremiah 4 reminded me of that. Right up until we take our final breath, we have the opportunity to turn things around and return to God. And we can never know when that final breath will be. Up to that point, we can put things right at any moment, however far away from Him we have wandered. Whatever we have done, it is never too late.

‘If you, Israel, will return,
then return to me,’
declares the Lord.  Jeremiah 4:1

It’s as simple as that. It may not feel that simple, but it is.

Jeremiah has to warn the people of the disaster that is to come. That is coming. A terrible attack from the North. If this was Game of Thrones, he would be saying ‘Winter is coming’. And it is all their fault. They have brought it on themselves.

‘Your own conduct and actions
have brought this on you.
This is your punishment.
How bitter it is!
How it pierces to the heart!’  Jeremiah 4:18

Because at some point, we will all have to face the consequences of what we have done.

Jeremiah is a true prophet. He looks around him and feels agony in his heart. He cannot stay quiet. The words are bursting out of him. He’s speaking God’s words here. God feels this way too. God looks around him and feels agony in his heart. God cannot stay quiet. He is still looking for messengers to bring His message to our world today.

Don’t ever fool yourself and think you are good enough on your own. Take a close look. All have sinned. All have done the wrong thing, thought the wrong thing, said the wrong thing at some point. All fall short of God’s standards. All fall short of the glory of God.

Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person
who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
I will forgive this city.  Jeremiah 5:1

This reminds me of the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abraham pleads for the safety of these cities in Genesis 18. He’s bartering with God. If there are fifty good people, please save the city…..how about 45? or 40? or 30? well, let’s say 20. Or 10. Let’s settle on 10. 10 good people in a whole city. How hard can that be?

Too hard. That’s the answer. The cities are destroyed.

Here in the Book of Jeremiah, God reminds the people that He has always provided everything they need and yet they have still turned away from Him toward the foreign gods. Why shouldn’t He be angry? The people have ignored all the warnings from the prophets. They’ve relied on God’s love and taken it granted and assumed He will do nothing to punish them. How wrong they are! Our God is a jealous God.

‘Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:
Should you not fear me?’ declares the Lord.
‘Should you not tremble in my presence?  Jeremiah 5:21-22

Can you not hear God speaking this words today? Shouting these words to our crazy, mixed up world?

To the wicked who trap people like birds and cheat them and exploit them and abuse them.

To the rich and powerful who have become fat and sleek.

To those who do not seek justice.

To those who do not protect those who need protecting.

To those who do nothing for the poor.

To those who do not speak out for those who have no voice.

But remember, the tennis match is never over until the last point is won or lost. There is always a way back. There is always a choice. For every single one of us.

This is what the Lord says:

‘Stand at the crossroads and look;
ask for the ancient paths,
ask where the good way is, and walk in it,
and you will find rest for your souls.’
But you said, ‘We will not walk in it.’  Jeremiah 6:16

We make this choice every single day. Every single minute of every single day.

Stop. Stand a while. Look. Open your eyes. Listen. Open your ears. Ask questions. Seek. Walk the path that others have walked before. The right path. The ancient path.

Only then will you find rest for your souls.