S) "16 As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you."
Jeremiah 7:16 (NASB)
O) These are the words from the LORD to Jeremiah. The people mentioned were the Judeans. This is a difficult passage to accept, but with careful review of context, things become more clear. The first step is to review everything that was just spoken to the people. God, through Jeremiah, had literally just invited the people back to Him. He reiterated the promises they still had, that if they would repent and truly turn to Him, that He would relent and spare them. So, that shows us God was not lacking compassion, even in His statement to Jeremiah in the verse above. In the above verse, God isn't changing His compassionate character, but changing the target of that compassion. He isn't changing the grace He gives, but turning His attention from the masses to the individual. I think He is really telling Jeremiah not to pray, because He knows the people will not turn. After all, in praying for them, what would that mean if it worked? It would mean that they would hear the will of God, accepting the truth and goodness of His will, and turn to Him. However, they had already shown that they would not accept the warning of the LORD, and would not accept the offer of grace from the LORD. So, I think it is clear that the verse above is really about sparing Jeremiah the additional grief of pouring out his heart in prayer to no avail. It is about preventing Jeremiah from spinning his wheels without getting anywhere in his prayers.
A) This verse is a little hard to apply to my life, honestly. The gospel shows us that the atoning sacrifice is sufficient for all of the sins of the world. So, in reality, anyone can be saved by the work Jesus already did. All that is required for salvation now, is faith. Still, I know that there will be some who reject that offer, just as the Judeans rejected God in Jeremiah's time. I am not aware of who will and will not accept the gospel, but God still knows. The real question then becomes, if I am praying for someone to accept the gospel, but they will not be saved (i.e., they will never believe), does God want me to continue praying for them? I must remember, just like when I read of many promises in the Bible, that this word was given to a specific person, in specific circumstances, for God's specific plans. I don't think it is the same for me, as it was for Jeremiah. To put it bluntly, Jeremiah was called to an epic task, as one of the last resident prophets to Jerusalem, but I don't think I am called to so great an undertaking. To be sure, I have a God-given purpose. However, I don't think praying for the salvation of people God knows will never be saved, is going to interfere with my calling. It could, and I pray that God would reveal that to me. But again, to be blunt with myself, there are a great many things that are already interfering with what I can do for God, and I haven't done everything I can to take care of those things, yet. In other words, there are a lot of ways that I might waste time. Among them, praying for people who will never believe is probably the best I can do.
P) Father, reading this verse reminds me how vast You are. You are omniscient, and infinite, and holy. This verse, as I really ponder it, convicts me of the ways I have wasted the time You have given me. Continue to have Your way with me, Lord. Give me the discipline I need to be productive for You, Lord. I want my character developed to a point, that the worst waste of time I have is praying for people that You know will never believe. I know I am a long way from that, though. Father God, You are a consuming fire, and this verse reminds me how much junk still needs to be burned. There are so many distractions in my heart, Lord, that I need to remove. I cannot do it myself, though. I don't know what it will take, but I pray that You begin to tear down these areas in my life, that I need torn down. Take away the distractions, Father. Remove the idols of my heart. Give me the focus I need, to do Your will and fulfill the purpose You have given me. In the meantime, I pray for the salvation of my family. My dad, all of my siblings, their children. I pray for my in-laws, and my friends, and my coworkers. Let them all have open eyes to see what You are showing them, and open ears to hear Your call. Soften their hearts to the gospel. Let Your will be done. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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