Did the title catch your attention? I certainly hope so! In order to make any sense of my word choices, I need to fill in the back story.

Once upon a time…sort of. The sermon or message this past Sunday was from the book of Jeremiah. Known as the “weeping prophet” he wrestled with painful rejection and the emotions that pierced his heart.

God called Jeremiah to speak a hard, but necessary message to God's people. In doing so, he was persecuted and additionally, witnessed the downfall of Jerusalem and the temple.

In the beginning of Chapter 20, we hear the name Pashhur, who was the chief officer in the house of the Lord. Pashhur heard Jeremiah prophesying, and put him in stocks. The very next day, right after Pashhur released him, Jeremiah continued to speak up and speak out. No sugar coating to please people. Straightforward and unedited in spite of the anger he knew would be aimed in his direction.

The next day, when Pashhur released him from the stocks, Jeremiah said to him, “The Lord’s name for you is not Pashhur, but Terror on Every Side. For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will make you a terror to yourself and to all your friends; with your own eyes you will see them fall by the sword of their enemies. I will give all Judah into the hands of the king of Babylon, who will carry them away to Babylon or put them to the sword. I will deliver all the wealth of this city into the hands of their enemies—all its products, all its valuables and all the treasures of the kings of Judah. They will take it away as plunder and carry it off to Babylon. (Jeremiah 20:3-5)

The one-two punch right on the heels of the first round; And you, Pashhur, and all who live in your house will go into exile to Babylon. There you will die and be buried, you and all your friends to whom you have prophesied lies. (vs 6)

So, our weeping prophet delivered the message from God to the people, and Pashhur's ears were burning and his temper was flaring.

Jeremiah did not have a cheering section or a fan club. He wasn’t getting millions of likes on social media. He was alone and it was a hard, painful place to be. He was honoring God and obediently did what God directed him to do. He spoke the words God put in his mouth. He was alone as he stood out and spoke out.

Have you been there? Saying the hard things that go against popular opinion and cultural norms? Jeremiah, in his humanness, broke down emotionally.

You deceived me, Lord, and I was deceived; you overpowered me and prevailed. I am ridiculed all day long; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I cry out proclaiming violence and destruction. So, the word of the Lord has brought me insult and reproach all day long.

But if I say, “I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name,” his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

I hear many whispering, “Terror on every side! Denounce him! Let’s denounce him!” All my friends are waiting for me to slip, saying, “Perhaps he will be deceived; then we will prevail over him and take our revenge on him.” (vs 7-12)

Jeremiah is crushed and instead of hiding, he vocalizes his despair to his God who already knows. When our pastor inserted the term ‘bipolar’ into this portion of teaching, I thought it the best possible way to describe the struggle many of us have. We have taken a step of faith, spoken up and spoken out, rocking the cultural boat. Oftentimes our motive is out of love and we desperately desire others to embrace faith in Jesus. But instead of embracing faith, they lash out and curse the message and the messenger. Ouch.

Jeremiah continues to pour out his brokenness in Jeremiah 20. I encourage you to read the entire chapter. Although Jeremiah’s message was primarily judgment, there are elements of hope within the book as well.

I feel the tension. I am non-confrontational, yet I have been prompted to speak hard truths to others. My pulse quickens, my palms are sweaty, and my mouth gets dry. I have a really tough time with not being liked or when people are angry with me. It’s difficult to separate my feelings from the big picture. Does this make me a bipolar believer? No. I’m human. I’m weak and easily broken.

I cannot trust myself, but I do trust God. When the message is hard, when I have apprehensions about how it will be received, whether I am delivering the message or if I’m on the receiving end. God is faithful. People are fickle and prefer popularity and platforms.

We will all be called to speak boldly. For some personalities, it’s emotionally agonizing. For others, not so much. What matters is that we do not take matters in our own hands and shrink back or create fault lines spewing words rather than thoughtful delivery.

I am a work in progress. It will never be easy for me to confront others with hard to hear truth. Keeping my heart open and honest before my Creator, my God and my King.

Helen Baratta on: May 30th, 2025 10:32am

Amen.