October 15

Jeremiah 26-27
2 Thessalonians 3
Psalm 85:1-13
Proverbs 25:16

Then I repeated this same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. "If you want to live, submit to the yoke of the king of Babylon and his people. Why do you choose war, famine, and disease, which the Lord will bring against every nation that refuses to submit to Babylon's king?"
~ Jeremiah 27:12-13

"When we want to be something other than the thing that God wants us to be, we must be wanting what, in fact, will not make us happy...whether we like it or not, God intends to give us what we need, not what we now think we want. Once more, we are embarrassed by the intolerable compliment, by too much love, not too little."
~ C. S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain

I am amazed at how stubborn and hard-hearted the Israelites were. They were was told by Jeremiah what would happen to them if they did not turn from their sinful ways. They were warned that there would be consequences for not complying to God's command. They were warned not to listen to false teachers and prophets.

It's so easy for me to look at them and judge them for their actions. Why did they fight against Jeremiah when he was warning them of God's judgement. Nothing Jeremiah said should have been a surprise to them. They had all heard it before from other other prophets and from God's law.

Then it hits me: There are times in my life (more than I'd care to admit) where I am just as stubborn and hard-hearted as they were. How much needless worry and suffering have I put myself through because I was too stubborn to do things God's way? Why does it take me so long to see that I cannot win a fight against God?

I read The Problem of Pain by C. S. Lewis when I was in high school and as I was reading today's chapters and reflecting on this stubbornness that we're so prone to, I remembered a quote that I had written down in a journal about 13 years ago. "When we want something other than the thing that God wants us to be, we must be wanting what, in fact, will not make us happy." I will go so far as to
say that all of us are guilty (at one time or another) of assuming that we are better than God at knowing what is best for us. We wrongly assume that we can make ourselves happy on our own. We are all guilty of being stubborn. We would all do good to listen to Jeremiah's warning for those who do not surrender fully to God's will. God will always know exactly what we need and He will always provide for us. But if we think we know better than God and fight Him for something we think will make us happy (but actually won't), then we are headed for nothing but suffering.

The good news is it is never too late to surrender to Him. No matter how much suffering we have endured because of our hard hearts, He will always be there to accept us back and to provide us with everything He knows we need. Living in complete surrender to Him will make us happier
than we could ever attempt to make ourselves. Because He knows what we need and He wants to be the One to provide it for us.

What are you holding on to that is stopping you from living the happy life that God wants you to have?
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