Jeremiah 14:17-22: a reflection

17“You shall say this word to them: “‘Let my eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease; for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous wound. 18If I go out into the field, then behold, the slain with the sword! If I enter into the city, then behold, those who are sick with famine! For both the prophet and the priest go about in the land, and have no knowledge.’” 19Have you utterly rejected Judah? Has your soul loathed Zion? Why have you struck us, and there is no healing for us? We looked for peace, but no good came; and for a time of healing, and behold, dismay! 20We acknowledge, LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers; for we have sinned against you. 21Do not abhor us, for your name’s sake. Do not disgrace the throne of your glory. Remember, and don’t break your covenant with us. 22Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? Or can the sky give showers? Aren’t you he, the LORD our God? Therefore we will wait for you; for you have made all these things.

In a time of drought and calamity, the people, having confessed their sin, turn to God with a searching question that leads them to wait for him alone. Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? they ask. Or can the sky give showers? And the answer is clear: no idol, no false god, nothing among the vanities of the nations can give rain. Only God can. Therefore, they conclude, we will wait for you; for you have made all these things. Having recognized that nothing else, no idol, no other source, can truly help them, they turn to wait for God alone, the only one who can give what they need. This is where the recognition that nothing else can help should lead us: to wait for God alone, the only true source of what we need. Nothing among the idols can help; therefore we wait for God alone. Recognizing that only God can help, they wait for him. When nothing else can truly help, we wait for God alone. The recognition that only God can help leads to waiting for him.

Notice the movement of the people's thought: from recognizing that nothing else can help, to waiting for God alone. They ask whether any of the idols, any of the vanities of the nations, can give rain, can provide what they need; and they know the answer is no. None of these can help; only God, who made all things, can give the rain. And this recognition leads them to a conclusion: therefore we will wait for you. Having seen that nothing else can truly help, they turn to wait for God alone. This is the right movement: when we recognize that nothing else, no idol, no false hope, no other source, can truly give us what we need, that recognition should lead us to wait for God alone, the only one who can. We often look to many sources for what we need, to the idols and false hopes of our own day; but none of these can truly help. Only God can. And recognizing this should turn us to wait for him alone, rather than continuing to look to what cannot help. To wait for God alone, having recognized that nothing else can truly help, is where our recognition should lead. Nothing else can give what only God can; therefore we wait for him. The recognition that only God can help turns us to wait for him alone.

That is worth taking to heart, for recognizing that nothing else can truly help us should lead us to wait for God alone. We can look to many sources for what we need, to idols and false hopes of our own, none of which can truly help; but the people, recognizing that no idol can give rain, that only God can, turned to wait for him alone. When we see that nothing else can truly give us what we need, that recognition should lead us to wait for God alone. Do not keep looking to what cannot truly help; recognizing that only God can give what you need, wait for him alone, as the people did. Wait for God alone, recognizing that nothing else, no idol or false hope, can truly give you what you need, as the people, asking whether any of the vanities of the nations could give rain and knowing the answer was no, concluded, therefore we will wait for you, for you have made all these things; for we often look to many sources for what we need, but none of them can truly help, and only God, who made all things, can give what we need, so that the recognition that nothing else can truly help should turn us from looking to what cannot help toward waiting for God alone, the only true source of what we need.

Lord, in a time of drought and calamity, the people, having confessed their sin, turn to you with a searching question that leads them to wait for you alone. Are there any among the vanities of the nations that can cause rain? they ask. Or can the sky give showers? And the answer is clear: no idol, no false god, nothing among the vanities of the nations can give rain. Only you can. Therefore, they conclude, we will wait for you; for you have made all these things. Having recognized that nothing else can truly help them, they turn to wait for you alone. Show me the movement of the people's thought: from recognizing that nothing else can help, to waiting for you alone. They ask whether any of the idols can give rain, can provide what they need; and they know the answer is no. Only you, who made all things, can give the rain. And this recognition leads them to a conclusion: therefore we will wait for you. This is the right movement: when I recognize that nothing else, no idol, no false hope, no other source, can truly give me what I need, that recognition should lead me to wait for you alone. I often look to many sources for what I need, to the idols and false hopes of my own day; but none of these can truly help. Only you can. Take that to my heart, for recognizing that nothing else can truly help me should lead me to wait for you alone. I can look to many sources for what I need, none of which can truly help; but the people, recognizing that no idol can give rain, turned to wait for you alone. Keep me from continuing to look to what cannot truly help; help me, recognizing that only you can give what I need, wait for you alone, Lord, as the people concluded, therefore we will wait for you, for you have made all these things.