Jeremiah 26:12-16: in context

Jeremiah stands on trial for his life. The priests and prophets have demanded his death for prophesying against the city. And Jeremiah, facing execution, does not recant or beg for his life. He calmly repeats the truth: the LORD sent me to prophesy against this city; amend your ways and obey the LORD, and he will relent. Then he entrusts himself to them and to God: as for me, I am in your hand; do with me what is good and right. Only know that if you put me to death, you bring innocent blood on yourselves. His composed courage moves the officials, who declare him not worthy of death.

Jeremiah's bearing on trial for his life is remarkable. He does not compromise the truth to save himself, softening his message or taking it back. He calmly repeats it, and even urges his accusers to repent. He warns them honestly of the guilt they would incur. And then he entrusts his fate entirely to them and to God: I am in your hand; do with me what is good and right. He does not cling desperately to his life or scramble to save himself; he speaks the truth faithfully and places his life in God's hands, willing to die if it comes to that. This is the composed courage of one who fears God more than death, and who entrusts his life to God rather than clutching it. This holds a model of courage for us. We may not face execution, but we face pressures to compromise the truth or our faithfulness to save ourselves from various costs: rejection, loss, harm, the displeasure of others. And Jeremiah's example shows a courage rooted in fearing God more than these costs, and in entrusting our lives to God rather than desperately protecting ourselves. Do not fear those who kill the body, Jesus says, but cannot kill the soul; the fear of God frees us from the fear that would make us compromise. And the entrusting of our lives to God, willing to accept whatever comes rather than clutching our own safety, frees us to be faithful. I do not count my life dear to myself, Paul says, so that I may finish my course. This searches whether we fear God more than the costs of faithfulness, and whether we entrust our lives to him. When faithfulness to the truth or to God threatens us with cost, do we compromise to protect ourselves, or do we, like Jeremiah, speak the truth faithfully and entrust our fate to God, willing to accept what comes? Jeremiah, on trial for his life, would not recant, but spoke the truth and placed his life in God's hands. This calls us to a like courage, fearing God more than the costs of faithfulness, and entrusting our lives to him rather than clutching our own safety. Jeremiah said, I am in your hand; do with me what is good and right, and would not compromise the truth to save himself; and we are called to the same composed courage, speaking and living the truth faithfully whatever the cost, fearing God more than what people can do to us, and entrusting our lives to the God in whose hands they truly rest.

When faithfulness to the truth or to God threatens me with cost, rejection, loss, harm, or the displeasure of others, do I compromise to protect myself, or can Jeremiah, who on trial for his life would not recant but spoke the truth and said, I am in your hand; do with me what is good and right, move me to a composed courage that fears God more than what people can do to me and entrusts my life to him, speaking and living the truth faithfully whatever the cost rather than clutching my own safety?