God Is Our Only Hope

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It seems that whatever problem a person might have, someone is out there, trying to convince you that they have a solution and can once again give you hope.

I would like to share with you something that you already know. You're probably asking yourself, why didn't I just stay in bed, if the pastor is going to tell me something I already know? It's the obvious that we often miss or forget. Especially so, when the society around us would like to convince us that they have solutions to whatever state of hopelessness we are in.

OK, here it is; something you already know. But I’m going to remind you several more times today.

God is our only hope!

We Must Understand Our Hopelessness. - 14.1-6

Jeremiah 14:1–6 (NASB95)

That which came as the word of the Lord to Jeremiah in regard to the drought: “Judah mourns And her gates languish; They sit on the ground in mourning, And the cry of Jerusalem has ascended. “Their nobles have sent their servants for water; They have come to the cisterns and found no water. They have returned with their vessels empty; They have been put to shame and humiliated, And they cover their heads. “Because the ground is cracked, For there has been no rain on the land; The farmers have been put to shame, They have covered their heads. “For even the doe in the field has given birth only to abandon her young, Because there is no grass. “The wild donkeys stand on the bare heights; They pant for air like jackals, Their eyes fail For there is no vegetation.

As we read through these verses, we see a listing of the problems all around them. It’s a description of the nation of Judah and their situation. All of this is evidence of their disobedience and rebellion against God. The Lord had warned them that if they did not follow His commands, they would experience drought. Everywhere the people would turn, there was no water. The cisterns were dry, leaving the jars unfilled. The ground had huge, gaping cracks in it, as the soil shrinks because there is no water. The farmers were completely discouraged; they knew that without water there would be no crops. Even the wildlife is experiencing the results of the people’s sins. The doe cannot produce milk because there is not any water available, nor even grass. As a result, she abandons her baby faun. Even wild donkeys are suffering due to the drought.

My friends, whenever people choose to sin against God, they are not the only ones who will reap the consequences. The fact of the matter is that everyone and everything around will suffer.

Like Jeremiah, we also need to do inventory. This is not to suggest that we personally are involved in willful sin. However, as has been stated many times, we need to keep a short account with God. Don’t allow a little sin to creep in and take over. We need to evaluate our situation realistically. When we do, we shall also see the state of hopelessness that is caused when there is disobedience to God.

We Must Look at Facts, Not Feelings. - 14.7-9

Jeremiah 14:7–9 (NASB95)

“Although our iniquities testify against us, O Lord, act for Your name’s sake! Truly our apostasies have been many, We have sinned against You. “O Hope of Israel, Its Savior in time of distress, Why are You like a stranger in the land Or like a traveler who has pitched his tent for the night? “Why are You like a man dismayed, Like a mighty man who cannot save? Yet You are in our midst, O Lord, And we are called by Your name; Do not forsake us!”

We must also remember that our hope does not lie in nature or the elements. In addition, we cannot dwell in the past, resigning ourselves to total destruction. We must go to the only source of hope; the Lord.

In these verses, while Jeremiah pleads with the Lord for help, he doesn't paint a picture of innocence on behalf of the people. He spells it out like it is. There is a recognition that the people have indeed sinned. He does not gloss over the facts. He readily states that the people have backslid. And the reality as that their sin is against the one true God.

In spite of all of this, he still pleads that the Lord would do something. He begs that God would do something for His Name’s sake. Jeremiah states a renewed knowledge of the fact that God is the "Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress."

We also see the reminder that the Lord is among them. You are in our midst, O Lord, And we are called by Your name; Do not forsake us! Sometimes in the midst of trouble and despair and hopelessness, we must remember to base our hope upon the facts of the Word of God alone. Feelings and emotions will run completely amok in the midst of turmoil. Hopelessness and helplessness overwhelmed the people of Judah.

We know how our feelings can run away with us. We can feel as if there is absolutely no hope. We must always remember that God is our hope. In the midst of a personal crisis, it would be easy to feel as if God had completely alienated Himself from us. It is during those times that we must be reminded of the facts of God's presence. It is then that we must be reminded of the fact that we are God's children. We must humbly plead with God to not forsake us. In our absolute helplessness, we then must become willing to surrender ourselves to the One Who cares for us as no other. We must place our hope in the fact that God is our only hope.

There are other times when everything seems to be going so smoothly that we think it’s a result of how well we have planned things or worked out the details. As a result, we tend to forget God. It is during these times, we must also remember that God is our only hope!

Also remember that hope cannot be based on emotionalism. It is based on the facts of God's Word.

But we must remember that with the people of Judah, there still has to be a time of dealing with the people and their sin.

We Must Understand the Need for Discipline. - 14.10-16

Jeremiah 14:10–16 (NASB95)

Thus says the Lord to this people, “Even so they have loved to wander; they have not kept their feet in check. Therefore the Lord does not accept them; now He will remember their iniquity and call their sins to account.” So the Lord said to me, “Do not pray for the welfare of this people. “When they fast, I am not going to listen to their cry; and when they offer burnt offering and grain offering, I am not going to accept them. Rather I am going to make an end of them by the sword, famine and pestilence.” But, “Ah, Lord God!” I said, “Look, the prophets are telling them, ‘You will not see the sword nor will you have famine, but I will give you lasting peace in this place.’ ” Then the Lord said to me, “The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds. “Therefore thus says the Lord concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them—yet they keep saying, ‘There will be no sword or famine in this land’—by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! “The people also to whom they are prophesying will be thrown out into the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and there will be no one to bury them—neither them, nor their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters—for I will pour out their own wickedness on them.

In these verses, we see God stating once again, the frustration that He has experienced with this people. It seems that they didn't just make mistakes, getting caught off guard which resulted in sin. It appears quite obvious that they chose to be undisciplined in their walk with the Lord. They chose, by their own will, to wander and even boldly walk into evil paths. Because of this blatant defiance and disobedience, God stated that punishment must take place.

Jeremiah reminded God, not that He needed to be reminded, that it was the prophets who were prophesying false information which misled the people. As we see in verses 14 and following, God described it exactly as it was; those false prophets were liars. In addition, the people were gullible, and they chose to be willing to listen to the lies, rather than to the absolute truth of God.

Sometimes, when confrontation occurs, all of the truth must be spelled out, so that there is no mistaking why discipline has to take place.

As Christians, we understand that our sins have already been taken care of and dealt with at the cross of Jesus Christ. However, the Lord may sometime need to exert some discipline here on this earth in order to remind us of our need to be obedient, as well as to remind us of His intense love for us, His children.

But just like a child who is being disciplined, there is the need to be reminded that all is not lost. God is our only hope! In the last section of chapter 14, we will see once again that the people of Judah are given great hope.

We Must Understand that God Is Compassionate. - 14.17-22

We see once again, the compassionate heart of the God of living Hope. In these verses, we continue to see Jeremiah pleading and praying on behalf of the people. He showed an intense, personal identification with the suffering that was taking place.

We see within this prayer a formula of sorts of the recognition of the pain that has taken place, as recorded in Jeremiah 14:17–18 ““You will say this word to them, ‘Let my eyes flow down with tears night and day, And let them not cease; For the virgin daughter of my people has been crushed with a mighty blow, With a sorely infected wound. ‘If I go out to the country, Behold, those slain with the sword! Or if I enter the city, Behold, diseases of famine! For both prophet and priest Have gone roving about in the land that they do not know.’ ””

In Jeremiah 14.19-20, we read an acknowledgment of the sin and the wrong that had been committed. “Have You completely rejected Judah? Or have You loathed Zion? Why have You stricken us so that we are beyond healing? We waited for peace, but nothing good came; And for a time of healing, but behold, terror! We know our wickedness, O Lord, The iniquity of our fathers, for we have sinned against You.” There is no blaming or passing responsibility to someone else. There is no rationalization or justification for their behavior. Very simply, We have sinned against You.

In verses 21–22, we see the understanding that it is God alone who can bring hope. “Do not despise us, for Your own name’s sake; Do not disgrace the throne of Your glory; Remember and do not annul Your covenant with us. Are there any among the idols of the nations who give rain? Or can the heavens grant showers? Is it not You, O Lord our God? Therefore we hope in You, For You are the one who has done all these things.” It is He alone who can deal with their crisis.

Conclusion

God is our only hope. We can try to rely upon our bank account, but that will eventually run dry. We can attempt to rely upon our intellect, but that is also limited; someday we will either be outsmarted or outsmart ourselves. We can try to rely upon our looks, but there will always be someone better looking; not to mention that time tends to increase the wrinkles. We can rely upon our coworkers or our neighbors, but they will often forget or fail us. We can rely upon the government, but it becomes corrupt.

Jeremiah knew where the only source of hope could be found. He knew that God was among His children. Throught Jesus Christ, we belong to Him. Today, all who know Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savior need to be reminded that we are children of God.

We see a victorious resignation in the last part of the chapter. Rather than keep on fighting; rather than simply giving up; resign yourself to this truth: “therefore, we hope in you, for you are the one who has done all these things."